West African Metropolitan Zone
Africa has seen large-scale developments over the past two hundred years. In the late 21st century, the Sahara desert began to expand, forcing countless people to migrate further inland. Their Afro-Arabic descendants have now come to reclaim the land, turning the modern day Sahel into a sustainable living space, albeit one still weathered by a harsh, arid climate. Its people, the Touareg, continue to thrive in these lands to this day.
The West African Metropolitan Zone, known to its inhabitants primarily as 'the MZ' or simply 'the Zone', situated primarily in Mali, is the largest metropolitan region on Earth. Initially developed as the site of Earth's first skyhook, it rapidly grew into the largest city on the planet, home to millions of people. In its early days its influence spanned the entire African West Coast, much of which now lies underwater due to sea level rise. Despite these challenges, the people of the area have clung to their culture even after being made the seat of the first inter-governmental organisation dedicated to space exploration and colonisation, the International Stellar Exploration Organisation. The Zone is a cosmopolitan region, composed not only of native born Africans, but the descendants of many Asian and European families who migrated to work for the ISEO.
Much of Central Africa has been badly affected by climate change, with the weather cycling between scorching heat waves and powerful monsoons. While modern technology has done much to protect the Central African Arcologies, built around sites of geographical and cultural significance, the same cannot be said for the rural communities.
In the early days of the climate crisis, China emerged from the initial uncertainty bruised but prepared for the challenges ahead. The harsh environmental conditions on mainland China led them to attempt to expand their influence elsewhere, in hopes of resettling parts of Africa with their own citizens. However, this necessitated some degree of neglect domestically; solutions to environmental issues in large cities were developed and offered but turned down, with the funding allocated to infrastructure and financial investments in Africa.
These large investments, mainly in West and Central Africa, were established in the time between the onset of climate collapse and the advent of space exploration. They were fundamental to the organisation and funding of the West African Metropolitan Zone, the New Benin University of Aerospace Engineering, and the Skyhook, among various other projects.
As international tensions heated up prior to the limited nuclear exchanges of [year/time period], however, this neglect led to domestic unrest at home, and China was placed in the position of having to choose between maintaining order in their territories or at home. They withdrew troops from Africa in order to maintain order within their borders—by any means necessary. This rapid withdrawal meant many Chinese citizens residing in Africa for work remained there, creating a substantial Chinese expatriate/diaspora community. Due to this, Chinese nationals are not uncommon on ISEO vessels despite their nation refusing to join, with dual citizenship being common despite the large push for them to return home.
Despite China's modern opposition to the ISEO, it is undeniable that without their influence, it would likely not have formed at all. They are still wary of the organisation to this day, and view joining it as a potential security risk. The expectation to send military and economic resources in exchange for membership would make China more vulnerable to war, be it total war or trade war—a mistake they made with their overexpansion into Africa, and one they are unwilling to risk again.