Planet:Cora

Introduction
Welcome to the Imperial Codex! This entry will provide detailed data on: the planet of Cora.

History
Cora was one of the first worlds colonized by the Paingler after they've achieved space flight. Cora is located within the Core Sector of Imperial Space and, as such, is close to the Imperial capital of Nerophion. It's pleasant and temperate atmosphere and climate, beautiful landscapes and proximity to the Imperial capital has made the world ideal for colonization.

Cora at first was used as an agricultural world, as it's vast fields and empty space are ideal for agricultural pursuits. As the Paingler pushed further and further into space, a team of scientists and engineers made a petition to use Cora as the site for a communications outpost that also doubled as a listening post. The current Emperor at the time, Ralzus II, accepted the petition and permitted the team to construct their outpost on the planet. The outpost still stands and it is maintained by a team of scientists scanning the stars for far-away signals of other civilizations.

Despite the presence of the outpost, Cora is still a farming world, but is protected due to it's status as one of the first colonies and a core world.

Terrain
Cora's surface is covered mostly by water (63.38% of the surface is covered by shallow oceans). On the landmasses, the terrain is typically mountainous but there are high concentrations of savannahs and steppes. The steppes and savannahs are flat land, one can see for miles in these areas. It is in these areas where most settlements and farms are located: the wide tracts of land are ideal for farming, and much of it is home to tilled fields that belong to farmers.

At the base of the mountains are dense mountain forests, the highest concentrations of vegetation on Cora.

Climate
Cora is a temperate world that undergoes a seasonal cycle. It's average surface temperature is a pleasant 64°F. This temperature rises to an average of 89°F in the warm season and drops to an average of 21°F in the cold season. During the two temperature seasons, the temperature stays the same as the average surface temperature.

Rainfall typically occurs during the temperate and hotter season, turning to snow during the cold season. The only times storms occur is during the warm season, but are generally mild, only bringing high wind conditions. This pleasant climate allows crops to grow and thrive on Cora's surface.

Wildlife
Cora is home to many species of birds and small mammals. Arboreal marsupials and rodents live within the mountain forests, as do many of the bird species. Larger rodents live in the steppes and savannahs. Jofs, nearly hairless, large eyed primates, live on the savannahs as well. There are very few predators on Cora, but all the predators are avian.

The savannahs and steppes are home to many kinds of wild flowers, grasses and trees. Rocks cana be covered with moss. In the warm season, the orchid trees blossom with beautiful flowers. Nuts can be found growing on trees within the mountain forests and are a delicacy on Cora.

Capital
There are a few towns on Cora, but most of civilization is based in fairly isolated settlements and farms. The capital of Cora is Argorang, a small city that boasts a space-port for in-bound and out-bound traffic. Apart from Argorang, Cora is not a very busy or crowded world.

Scientific Outpost
Perhaps the most important feature of Cora is the scientific communications outpost located there. Nestled high in the mountains, away from farmlands and settlements, the outpost is a mixture of a communications center, listening post and observatory. The large transmission tower and radar dishes are the most noticeable aspects of the outpost, with the dishes constantly swivelling and rotating, scanning the open sky. The outpost itself is a dome like structure that houses the living quarters for the team there, the communications and analyzing equipment.

The purpose of the outpost is to scan for far-away signals from other civilizations. Locating signals within the Ensis Galaxy is fairly easy. The team, however, is scanning for signals further away from that, possibly from the furthest reaches of the Ensis or other galaxies altogether.

Imports and Exports
Imports: *Technology
 * Medicine
 * Raw materials

Exports: *Crops
 * Foodstuffs
 * Raw materials