Geography of Deltaria

{| align="right" border="3" cellpadding="7" width="300" style="margin-left:0.5em;" !style="background:#c9c9c9" | Deltarian Geography

Physical Geography
Deltaria is a nation in central Majatra, located at the deepest point of the Majatran Basin in the South Sea, at 55º S, 66º W. It is the sixth largest country in the world with a total area of 1,739,100 square kilometres, (671,468 sq. mi), making it slightly smaller than Republic Baltusia, and almost 60 times bigger than the Keymon.

Deltaria has a total x of coastline, including the Lake Majatran coast, and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 953,876 square kilometres. This exclusive economic zone does not include the area around Deltaria Nova. Deltaria's land borders measure at x kilometres, along the Independent Wantuni Republic, United Jakania and Jelbé Isràé Krsyigad.

The southern half of Deltarian consists of the Darali Plateau, which rises to mountain heights near the southern border and falls to lower elevations near the national center. The Darali Plateau region is generally flat, though broken by various mountain ranges such as the Tatar Ranges, and the Karpaty Ranges. Surface water is generally lacking in the Darali Plateau, although there are several larger rivers in the west and east such as the Suislaw and Alazinder rivers.

The Northern Highlands, or Great Coastal Range, lie near the coastal borders of Dissuwa and Alazinder, separating a relatively narrow coastal plain from the rest of the continent. The Northern Highlands have the greatest relief, the most rainfall, the most abundant and varied flora and fauna, and the highest quality of arable land.

Between the northern coastal borders and the Darali Plateau lie the Central Lowlands, which are made up of the Great Daralian desert and the Smrt' Basin, as well as Deltaria's largest water cachements. Off the eastern coast of the Ushalandan Horn is the world's largest coral reef complex, the Great Deltarian Reef.

Geology
Deltaria has had a relatively stable geological history. Geological forces such as Tectonic uplift of mountain ranges or clashes between tectonic plates occurred mainly in Majatra's early history, when it was still a part of the Terran Supercontinent. Erosion and weathering have heavily weathered Deltaria's surface and it is one of the flattest countries in the world.

Deltaria is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore has no active volcanism, although it may sometimes receive minor earthquakes. The terrain is mostly heavily weathered, low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the northeast. No place in Deltaria contains any permanant icefields or glacial deposits, although they may have existed in the past.

Lake Majatra
Lake Majatra straddles the semi-arid border between the Majatran nations of Cobura, Deltaria, Jelbe, Jakania and Zardugal. It is the largest, deepest and oldest lake in the Majatra, preserving a unique aquatic ecosystem with more than 200 endemic species that are of worldwide importance. However, human activity on the lake shores and in its catchment area is resulting in the ecosystem coming under stress. Lake Majatra holds a maximum depth of 288 m and a mean depth of 155 m. It covers an area of 1,358 km², containing an estimated 245.4 km³ of water.

The water at the surface of Lake Majatra moves predominantly in an anti-clockwise direction along the shore, as a result of wind forcing and earth rotation. In terms of vertical water exchange, convective mixing during winter cooling is the dominant process. However in an average winter only the top 150-200 meters of the lake are mixed, whereas the water below is stably stratified by salinity. The stability due to this salinity gradient allows complete convective mixing events only roughly once every 7 years. Both in terms of nutrient concentration, as well as biological parameters Lake Ohrid qualifies as oligotrophic. Thanks to this oligotrophy and the filtered spring inflows, the water is exceptionally clear with transparencies to a depth of as much as 22 meters (66 feet).

Suislaw River
From its source Lake Majatra, the river falls to 220m just below the Suislaw Falls near Sigojnerhelved. The Suislaw is joined by a network of minor tributaries, before splitting into the Imparatul River and Sfantul River at its outlet, near Stanful Gheorge in Ushalande. The Suislaw drains most of the inland area of Deltaria. It runs through two Vojvodstvo — Doron Akigo and Ushalande, before emptying into Ushalande Bay about 300km downstream from Lake Majatra. The river is divided into the Southern Suislaw, from its source in Doron Akigo to Imperatul Stefan, and the Northern Suislaw, from Imperatul Stefan to its mouth near Stanful Gheorge. The Southern Suislaw is further divided into three sections: the headwaters, from the source to Struer Falls; a series of man-made lakes between Signojnerhelved and Viele ; and the middle Suislaw, a relatively free-flowing river downstream of Viele.

Alazinder River
Rising in the Northern Jakanian hills 225 m above sea level, north-west of Nilaka City, the Alazinder heads north into Deltaria, past Chemnitz, Karvina, Dolinka, Jesenik, Stara Hut, Hradec Kralove, Sedlecany, Budejovice, Petrovice and Dublovice, and discharges into the South Sea at its outlet in Hodonin, 12 metres below sea level. The Alazinder has many tributaries, most importantly the Kama, the Oka, the Vetluga, and the Sura rivers. The Alazinder has a total length of about 470 kilometres and includes as many as 150 channels and smaller rivers.

The Alazinder River drains most of Alazinder. Its many large reservoirs provide irrigation and in some fiefdoms, hydroelectric power. The Hradec Kralove Canal, the Budejovice Canal, and the Hodonin Canal systems form navigable waterways connecting Hradec Kralove to the South Sea. High levels of chemical pollution currently give cause for environmental concern.

The fertile river valley provides large quantities of wheat, and also has many mineral riches. A substantial petroleum industry centres on the Alazinder valley. Other minerals include natural gas, salt, and potash. The Alazinder Delta and the nearby South Sea offer superb fishing grounds. Hodonin, at the delta, is the centre of Deltaria's caviar industry.

Great Coastal Range
The Great Coastal Range, also known as the Northern Highlands, is Deltaria's second largest mountain range. The range stretches more than 1000km from the Ushalandan belt, running almost the entire length of the northern coastline through Alazinder, before finally fading into the central plain at the edge of northern Dissuwa. The central core of the Great Coastal Range is dotted with hundreds of peaks and is surrounded by many smaller mountain ranges or spurs, canyons, gorges, valleys and plains of regional significance. Almost all of Deltaria's alpine areas are part of this range.

The Great Coastal Range divides the drainage basins of streams and rivers which flow directly into the South Sea on the northern coast of Deltaria, from streams and rivers of the Alazinder Basin which flow inwards, away from the coast into the interior plains. Because of this, the native freshwater fish faunas of the inland and coastal river systems are very different. The many valleys of the range have produced river capture events that have shaped the biogeography of many freshwater fish species.

Whilst some of the peaks of the highlands reach respectable heights of a little over 2000 metres, the age of the range and its erosion mean that most of the mountains are not outrageously steep, and virtually all peaks can be reached without mountaineering equipment.

Karpaty Ranges


The Karpaty Ranges begin on the Suislaw river in Doron Akigo. They form a large semicircle, sweeping towards the south-east, and end in central Darali, near Zlin. The total length of the Karpaty Ranges is over 600km. The mountain chain's width varies between 12 and 300 km. The greatest width of the Karpaty Ranges corresponds with its highest altitudes. The system attains its greatest breadth in the Darali Plateau, and in the meridian of the Tatar group (the highest range, with Mount Parnum, at 2,228 m above sea level). It covers a total area of 56,000 km²

Although commonly referred to as a mountain chain, the Karpaty Ranges do not actually form an uninterrupted chain of mountains. Rather, they consist of several orographically and geologically distinctive groups, presenting a great structural variety. The Karpaty Ranges, which only in a few places attain an altitude of over 2,000 m, lack the bold peaks, extensive snow-fields, large glaciers, high waterfalls and the numerous large lakes which are common in larger ranges. No area of the Karpaty Range is covered in snow year-round, and there are no glaciers. The Karpaty Ranges at their highest altitude are only as high as the middle regions of most Artanian mountain ranges.

Tatar Range
The Tatar mountains constitute a mountain range in central Darali, and are the highest section of the Karpaty Ranges. The major part, and all the highest peaks, of the range are situated in the east; the largest mountain lakes can be found in the west. The highest Tatar peak, at 2,228 m, is Blesk štít.

The Tatars consist of the Western Tatars (Západné Tatry) and the Eastern Tatras (Východné Tatry). The Eastern Tatras, in turn, consists of the High Tatars (Vysoké Tatry) and the Belianske Tatars (Belianske Tatry). The High Tatars, with their 24 (or 25) peaks over 2000 m above sea level are the only mountains with an Alpine character in all of inland Deltaria. The Tatars should be distinguished from another Daralian mountain range, the Dead Tatars (Smrty Tatry), situated south of the Tatars. Sometimes, however, the term 'Tatars' is used freely to refer to both the Tatars and the Dead Tatars.

Great Deltarian Desert
The Great Deltarian Desert is a 260,000 km² expanse in southern Darali and Alazinder. This vast region of Deltaria is sparsely populated, the only significant settlements based on mining and oil drilling, with some isolated sheep and cattle farming. The Great Deltarian Desert is a flat area between the rocky ranges of the Karpatys and the Alazinder River.

Rainfall is low throughout the coast and far north. Areas near Pisek do have an average exceeding 300 mm, but the rainfall is patchy with many drought years often ending in a monsoonal cloud mass or tropical cyclone. Like many of Deltaria's deserts, rainfall does seem high by desert standards, because even in the driest parts rainfalls rarely drop below 250 mm. A massive evaporation rate makes up for the higher than normal desert rainfall. This region is one which gives rise to the heat lows which help drive the northern monsoonal climate. Almost all rain comes from monsoonal thunderstorms or the occasional tropical cyclone rain depression. Thunderstorm days average 20-30 through most of the area, but in the north bordering Pisek, 30-40 per annum is the average.

Summer daytime temperatures are some of the hottest in Deltaria. The range on the northern border near Vlasim and Cesky Krumlov is around 37 to 38 °C ( 99 to 100 °F ), but this would be indicative of the low end of the range. Regions further south would average 38 to 42 °C, sometimes reaching 50 °C and above. A great many people have died in this region after their vehicles have broken down on remote tracks. Winter is short and warm, temperatures range from 25 to 30 °C, by late August it is hot again. Frost does not occur in most of the area. The regions bordering the Darali Badlands in the far southeast may record a light frost or two every year. Winter nights can still be chilly in comparison to the sun drenched warm days.

Darali Badlands
The Darali Badlands are a large arid depression in the eastern part of the Darali and the western portion of the Alazinder, housing the nation's lowest area ; the Smrt' Basin. It encompasses approximately 40,000 km² east of Zabreh and Prevov, extending from the Great Deltarian Desert west to the Alazinder River. The region is essentially the western extension of the Great Deltarian Desert to the east. The region includes the heavily-irrigated Litomrice and Sedlecany valleys. It is crossed by several mountain ranges, including the Karpatys and Tatars.

Smrt' Basin
The Smrt' Basin is considered geologically one of the best examples of the Basin and Range configuration. It is the principal feature of the Darali Badlands. Temperatures in the Basin can range from up to 54 °C in the day in the summer, to below freezing at night in the winter. This is among the widest temperature spreads in Majatra. Many of Death Valley's roads were built several hundred years ago. They are narrow and serpentine, in shocking states of disrepair, and cannot be driven at high speed.

Peklo, located within Smrt' Basin, is the specific location of the lowest point in Deltaria. At 78 m below sea level, it shares most of the characteristics found in other places around the world that lie below sea level. Generally, the lower the altitude of a place, the higher the temperatures tend to be. This is especially true in Smrt' Basin, due to the rock outcroppings that encircle it. The basin radiates extreme amounts of heat, creating temperatures that are among the hottest on earth. The hottest temperature recorded was 56.2 °C at Pecovy on January 18, 2113. The highest average high temperature in January is 47 °C with temperatures of 50 °C or higher being very common. The basin receives less than 50 mm of rain annually. While very little rain falls in Smrt' Basin, the valleys are prone to flooding during heavy rains because the soil is unable to absorb the bulk of the water. The runoff can produce dangerous flash floods.

White Zone of Doron Akigo
The White Zone of Doron Akigo is a desert surrounding the abandoned city of Varde, in the southern inland area. Varde was abandoned in 2136 due to the civil nuclear strike at a Doron Akigan forest, which was located 14.5 kilometers north-northwest. The forest was, at the time, being used as a basing ground for communist insurgents, and the use of a small-yield explosive missile was authorised by the government of the Dynastic Oligarchy of Deltaria. At the time of the nuclear strike the city was inhabited by 14,000 residents..

The Zone of Alienation, later named The White Zone, was the area most afflicted by lingering iodine-131. The Zone later expanded as the idione-131 decayed and new health risks were found to be caused by caesium-137 and strontium-90. The vast environmental changes to the area caused a rapid desertification, as the lack of flora encouraged wind erosion and salinity, transforming it from a vibrant shrubland to a dead zone.

Political Geography
Deltaria is broken up into a vast multitude of tiny administrative sections known as Pánstvo, which generally consist of hamlets, small villages or large agricultural divisions, and are ruled over by a minor hereditary lord known as Pán or Páni. These Pánstvo in turn are grouped into larger administrative regions known as Grófstvo or Barónstvo, consisting of a larger town or small city and their surrounding settlements. The heirarchy continues to the Markíztvo, where the administrative government over large regions resides in the major cities. Finally, the nation is broken into six Vojvodstvo, Alazinder, Darali, Dissuwa, Doron Akigo, Ushalande and the Holy Lands, whose governments answer directly to the Czár.

Deltaria also administrates over one semi-autonomous colony, Deltaria Nova, and the Deltarian Protectorate of Kafuristan.

Climate
By far the largest part of Deltaria is desert or semi-arid – 20% of the landmass is covered by sand dunes. Only the northern coastal areas and Ushalandan Belt have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern tips of the country have a tropical climate: part is tropical rainforests, part grasslands, and part swamp.

Rainfall is highly variable, with frequent droughts lasting several seasons thought to be caused in part by the Doron Akigan nuclear strike of 2136. Occasionally a duststorm will blanket a region or even several cities and there are reports of the occasional large tornado. Rising levels of salinity and desertification in some areas is ravaging the landscape. Deltaria's tropical/subtropical location and cold waters off the northern coast make most of Inland Deltaria a hot desert with aridity, a marked feature of greater part of the nation. These cold waters produce precious little moisture needed on the mainland.