The Microcosm of Council of Feathers is a massive, cultured nation, ruled by The Finch Above All with a fair hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, state-planned economy, and restrictive gun laws. The compassionate, democratic population of 4.876 billion Councillors love a good election, and the government gives them plenty of them. Universities tend to be full of students debating the merits of various civil and political rights, while businesses are tightly regulated and the wealthy viewed with suspicion.

The enormous, socially-minded government juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Zeebie Council. The average income tax rate is 90.8%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The powerhouse Council of Feathersian economy, worth 460 trillion bits a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. Average income is 94,524 bits, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Political satirists and late night comedians weep as the government begins cleaning up its act, the experimental sculpture "Overtures In Dried Zebra Finch Dung" has been declared a national treasure, many parents are becoming frustrated with their children's choices in spouses, and sections of the police receive paramilitary training. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Council of Feathers's national animal is the zebra finch, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Council of Feathers is ranked 297,050^th in the world and 652^nd in Concord for Largest Timber Woodchipping Industry, scoring -7.62 on the Tasmanian Pulp Environmental Export Index.