Shili is a populous world of turu-grass prairies and rainforest valleys, orbiting a single sun. As the homeworld of the Togruta, it was a member of the Old Republic since that government's earliest days. For much of the planet's history, its capital city was Corvala, though, decades before that government's demise, Korunaan City came to hold the title instead of the ancient citadel.

Shili is home to many dangerous beasts that posed a constant threat to the Togruta throughout much of their early history. Chief among these is the akul, widely acknowledged as Shili's greatest predator. The akul is a fearsome orange-haired beast prized by zoos throughout the galaxy for its immense power and beauty. Albino varieties are especially coveted by stage shows and holovid producers. Many natives show these rare beasts great respect and admiration, though, in the wild, the albino akul is left to die by its own kind.

In more recent times Shili has known a high level of activity by various governments and mining groups. The latter is most interested in the planet's rich mineral deposits. As a result of these offworld investments, Shili is now home to a number of industrial cities which have built up around mining outposts.

The Togruta are known throughout much of the galaxy for a repressive culture that strongly discourages individualism; leading many Togruta to emigrate from their homeworld in order to maintain their unique identities. In the time of the Old Republic, many such Togruta eventually found their way into the Jedi Order. Although repressive, the culture that the Togruta have established on Shili is artistic, peaceful, elegant, and judges a being by the purity of their heart and mind above all else. These accomplishments have lead others to compare it favorably to the culture of Naboo.