Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and one of the most contested. First settled in 2067, most nations on Earth have control over one, or more districts, and have divided Mars among themselves. For most of Martian history, the planet has been locked in the Martian Cold War(2130 - 2180). This culminated in the rise of several extremist factions, leading to the 2174 New Vienna Bombings. The establishment of the Fourteenth District, Arcadia, in 2180, is considered the end of the Cold War and the beginnings of a new age of prosperity and optimism for Mars.

Culture

Many of the people fleeing the disasters on Earth brought their cultural traditions with them, but as with any mass exodus, many things were lost in this process. The modern Martian can broadly be identified by their District. Martian Culture has begun to diverge from their Earther counterparts. There's no unique Martian language, but there are definitely broad accents developing in some parts of Mars. Most people on Mars speak English, either as their first language, or their second. The Martian diet is largely vegetable-heavy, but mass-grown meat is found all over the planet.

Martian fashion is determined by district. Some choose to embrace Earther clothing as a means of retaining their heritage. It's a common enough sight to see people wearing a Cheongsam, a Dashiki, or an Abaya. For those who don't care about that, typical go-to is an easy-fitting jumpsuit, a fashion choice inspired by the first colonists to arrive on Mars. That being said, blue jeans are still the dominant pant in space. Some things never die out.

Geography

Mars has changed little since humans first settled on the planet. While Humanity has had great success terraforming places such as Venus, it has not succeeded on Mars. As such, Humanity is confined to habitat domes that nestle the planet, built either in craters, mountains, or lava tubes, and often taking the name of the geographic feature settled in.

Districts

Mars is divided into several Districts, which are comparable to States on Earth. Most districts have a sponsor in the form of an Earthly nation, or a corporation. During the Martian Cold War, there were a series of limited conflicts which resulted in territory changing hands. By the end of the War, many districts that existed previously were consumed.

Arcadia

Arcadia District is located between Olympus and Elysium, and is one of the few multinational districts on Mars. Unlike most of the Red Planet, Arcadia has been turned over in its entirety to the pan-human organisation, the ISEO. The largest city in Arcadia is Tenacity, seat of the ISEO’s Martian Headquarters. While much of the Arcadian region is barren and uncolonised, the ISEO has been turning over large patches of land to its employees. Members of the ISEO are guaranteed a plot of Martian soil upon retirement, as well as enjoying benefits such as UBIs, free health and childcare, and a largely democratic political system. It is no reason that the other districts of Mars are looking upon Arcadia with envious eyes. In only twenty years, it has surpassed all other districts, becoming the de facto Martian Capital, with legal recognition of this fact likely only a few years away. It is largely cosmopolitan, comprised of various peoples from across Earth.

Olympus

Perhaps the most well-known feature of Mars is Olympus Mons. The summit has six collapsed craters, all of which have been domed over. These have become the Six Sectors of the Olympus Megalopolis, the largest and most cosmopolitan city on Mars. The Olympia District has grown up around the Megalopolis, and is the headquarters of the Martian Security Council. Olympia District was founded by the PNAF, and has strong North American roots, with a large middle-class population. Its parent nation not being a part of the ISEO has not stopped many American-Martians from joining as contracted or independent workers.

Tharsis

Tharsis District lies east of Olympus, and stretches from the ancient coastlines of Mars north of Alba Mons, down to the Daedalia Plains, where much of Tharsis' urban centres lie. Dominating the Tharsis heartlands are Arsia, Pavonis, and Ascraeus, three vast mountains that have been the source of much cultural pride. Tharsis is a federal state within the East African Federation. It is often known as the Three Mountain State. It's largest city, Nakabet, lies at the base of Pavonis Mons.

Solis

The Solis District is found to the south of the great Valles Marineris. Nominally considered part of the Tharsis geographic region, it contains the Syria, Sania, Thaumasia, and Solis Plains. It is home to a great number of Francophone peoples, who migrated from Earth to Mars around the turn of the 22nd Century. The Solis District has its capital at Oudemans, named after the crater it is built inside. It is part of the European Federation, and is administered directly as a colonial republic. Solis is one of the few places where Martian Clay is easily accessible, a valuable local resource.

Xanthe

The Xanthe District lies east of Tharsis and north of Solis. Its heartland lies in Xanthe Terra, once a fertile and lush river delta, comparable to the Nile basin on Earth. Many agricultural projects have taken place here, with the landscape covered in agricultural domes and habitats. The Xanthe District has its capital in Chimbote, lying south of the massive Shalbatana Megaproject, a massive biodome that sits across an ancient lake, now refilled, and both a major tourist destination, and ecological reserve. Xanthe is under the administration of the Corporação Colonial Marciana, the Martial Colonial Corporation. It is a state-owned entity of the Union for South American Nations, though historically established as a Brazilian colony, it has since grown to include settlements of peoples all across South America.

Argyre

The Argyre District is located across the southern hemisphere of Mars, lying south of Solis. It is a vastly populated region largely inhabited by emigrants from the United Kingdom, largely Scots. Its major settlements lie in the Argyre Planetia, with the capital being New Glasgow. It has constructed many large biodomes that simulate the traditional climates of historic Scotland, and is a major producer of timber. It is part of the European Federation.

Sabaea

The Sabaea District is the oldest colonial holding on Mars, settled by the Chinese in 2067. It was abandoned when the Chinese Government collapsed in the 2080s, leading to various other Martian colonies being forced to help the Sabaean settlers. When the Asian Economic Cooperative was founded, it swiftly absorbed Sabaea back into its fold. Its largest city, **New Wuhan**, takes up much of the Janssen Crater. Sabaea has close ties to the ISEO, largely owing to its humanitarian mission, which helped keep Sabaea alive.

Cydonia

The Cydonia District is the most distinct of all the Districts, in that it is mostly empty, sparsely populated, and has changed hands more times than most other districts. As of the modern day, it is not owned by any particular nation, and is more a collection of isolated settlements. Most people accept that, at some point in the future, this entire region will become the great North Martian Ocean, but nobody can really say for certain when that will be. As such, anybody settling there does so on the understanding that one day their homes will be underwater. Few people willingly travel to Cydonia, except to visit the old ‘face of Mars’, once a curious geological formation, and now home to Mars’ largest theme park, the Magnusson Värld Resort Mars, established by famed troubled artist-turned-colonist Astrid Magnusson.

Isis

The Isis District is one of the smallest of Mars, but also the most densely populated. It was established by the Centroamérican Economic Conglomerate, with its capital Cartago, lying close to the border of Cimmeria and Elysium. It is a cultural centre of Mars, having laid claim to the Gale Crater, and the landing sites of the Beagle and the Perseverance, all of which have been turned into heritage sites dedicated to early Martian exploration. The Isis Natural History Museum contains the most comprehensive record of Martian colonization, from the early rover days to modern times. Antigua Street hosts an annual jazz festival widely believed to be the biggest party on Mars.

Hellas

The Hellas District lies squarely in its namesake, the Hellas Basin. It was first settled by the United Arab Republics. Early agricultural efforts fell through, with the land being less useful as previously expected. Instead, the settlers found Hadriacus, an ancient, long dead volcano. Its lava tubes extend all the way down to the Hellas Basin, and have been thoroughly colonised. Through these long tubes, the great city of Hadria spreads for many miles, itself so large as to be divided into distinct quarters, or districts. Hadria has spread through many of these tubes, and most of them have a monorail running through them, allowing for easy access across the entire city. Its aesthetic design has often been compared not to any real city, but more to the fictional Black Mesa, if it were a colony on Mars.

Hesperia

The Hesperia District is sandwiched between the Hellas Basin and the Cimmeria District, and is the agricultural heartland of Mars, vastly outproducing the rest of the region in terms of food production. Its capital city, Eridania, has seen many conflicts during the Cold War. Its southern expanse, the land of Promethei, was the site of the Hellas-Hesperia Border War of 2149, ending in Hellas Victory in 2150. Hesperia was occupied by the Hellas District until 2263, when internal and external pressure forced them to restore the District to semi-independence, governed by the Oceanic Federation.

Cimmeria

Cimmeria District is the most wellknown of them all, the former heartland of Mars. Its largest city, New Vienna, is one of the biggest settlement on Mars, after the Olympius Megalopolis. It is the home of the Martian Financial District, and the scene of Mars’s biggest tragedy, the New Vienna Bombings. Initially settled and funded by the European Federation, it quickly grew to become a cosmopolitan district of many nationalities, something that would fuel the tensions of the Martian Cold War. In the later years of the war, the European Federation, keen to be sick of the ‘Cimmeria Issue’, opted to hand over administrative duties to the ISEO. This is a tricky proposition, the ISEO has control over the government, but in exchange, the EF keeps a cut of the profits coming from the Martian Economic Capital.

Elysium

Elysium, often referred to as the Elysian Isle, is a raised feature of Mars lying in its north-eastern hemisphere. It is largely South European in culture, with its capital, Maribor, located inside Elysium Mons. The district is unique, as it is the only one to officially refer to itself not as a district, but as the *Republic of Elysium. Following the end of the Martian Cold War, loyalty to its parent state saw it elevated to a fully recognised nation within the European Federation, counted alongside states such as France or Germany.

Lucus

The Lucus District is located south of Arcadia in the western hemisphere. It lies close to Olympus, which lies to the north-east. Lucus is one of the smallest districts in Mars, and is largely self contained to the Lucus Planum, and is an elevated region of land formed by cooling magma many millions of years ago. Lucus District is one of the oldest districts on Mars, settled by the West African Metropolitan Zone, with the largest settlement being Nouveau Dakar (New Dakar). Much of Lucus has been mined for resources, with New Dakar being an industrial capital of Mars. It is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gasses, with most of its waste products ending up in the thin Martian atmosphere, a vital first step in terraforming the red planet. Lucus has its own local democratic government, and is part of the WAMZ as a colonial territory. Its official name is the State of Lucus, and it is afforded the same equal rights and privileges that any other earthly region of the WAMZ is granted.

Sirenum

Sirenum is a large district located south of Olympus and west of Argyre. Sirenum was the first target of Russian and Eastern European colonial expansion on Mars. Its capital is Polnozovo, and it is home to a significant portion of working class peoples, who are largely better off than their Earthly cousins. Sirenum is administered by the Kolonial'naya Korporatsiya Sirenum. The KKS is Sirenum’s government, largely meritocratic and mercantile. Things here are done for a profit, for better or for worse. However, with the collapse of the Russian State back home, most of its assets have fallen into the hands of the ISEO, who are keen to lessen the Corporation's grip and influence.

Politics

There is no one Martian state. Instead, the Martian ‘Districts’ are beholden only to themselves and their nation-state. Some districts have achieved a greater level of autonomy than others, being almost independent in their actions. There are Fifteen major districts, each composed of their own local city states, communities, and settlements. Political freedoms vary from state to state, and largely depend on how the District is administered. Some, like Elysium, are almost completely democratic, with local representation and a high quality of life and rights. On the complete flipside, districts like Sirenum, owned and operated by the Kolonial'naya Korporatsiya Sirenum, are owned and maintained specifically by a corporation created for this purpose, as such, life under the Korporatsiya can be hard, largely motivated by profit. Most Districts have some form of corporate influence, though it does not permiate through most of society.

Despite no unified form of government, the districts of Mars have all suffered from historical liberation and independence movements, as well as many bouts of sectarian violence. Following the 2174 New Vienna Bombings, conducted by members of the extremist PLF faction, the Hands of Hope, the Districts of Mars have come together in a surprising show of unity. Together, they have formed the Martian Security Council. The MSC has largely brought the worst excesses of violence to an end, working alongside the ISEO to steadily transition Mars into a unified planet.