Planet:Coron

Coron is the capital planet of the Drodo Empire and the homeworld for the country's dominant species, the Drodo. It is well known fot the way it almost effortlessly strikes the balance between being a trade and industrial powerhouse, and being untouched and having miles of wildnerness.

General Information
Coron is astonishingly Earthlike; Possessing a very similar size, mass, climate, and atmosphere. It has days lasting 25 Terran hours and a 374 terran day year. It is dominated by four continents; Aratacia, Doranova, Turikava, and Kervique. Aratacia and Doranova, to the untrained eye, look like a single continent, but are in fact made up of different tectonic plates and have dramatically different climates; Separated primarily by the Northern mountain range. Turikava and Kervique, meanwhile, look vaguely similar to North and South America on Earth.

Aratacia
Aratacia has a very diverse set of climates, including temperate or taiga climates, tropical climates, and great deserts. Aratacia is on the western side of the great mountain range and extends down to the end of the Kai'an Mountain ranges to the Bellat Peninsula.

Doranova
Doranova is on the eastern side of the mountain range and is mostly arid or cold tundra and steppes; For millenia this continent was peopled by nomads and horse people, who would and did invade the neighbouring continent.

Turikava
On the other side of the world are the two smaller continents of Turikava and Kervique. Turikava possesses a climate similar to Aratacia, and was populated by bronze-age tribes and city-states who constantly feuded. Today, however it is admired for its great beauty. A notable aspect of this continent is the massive river running through it into Kervique.

Kervique
Kervique is notable as it is the only continent to be mostly rainforest. It is home to the other half of the great river and possesses a mountain range to its far west, blocking off one sliver of its landmass completely. In earlier times, it was home to a great many empires of surprising advancement; When Aratacian colonists did arrive, they where met with great empires that where nearly there technological equals, and adapted fast; To the point where many of these native countries existed into interplanetary times.

Early History
Coron was formed around five billion years ago and had a very violent early life; Constant meteor bombardments and tectonic activity rocked the planet for millions of years before it stablized. About four to three billion years ago, life emerged. The way life emerged is the subject of argument and controversy up to modern times.

Appearance of Modern Drodo
The Drodo species as it is known today appeared about two million years ago; A result from earlier predecessors. Much like humans, Drodo lacked and do lack sufficent natural weapons, even if stronger on average than humans. However, they did have intellegence; Because of this, Drodokind eventually went from eeking out and existence, spear-hunting prey, to forming city-states and civilization.

Drodoian Civilization
This section is purely on the impact of Drodoian civilization on the planet, not a comprehensive history, for that, go to Fiction:Drodo Empire/History

Drodo, even before civilization, written history, or even domestication of horses and other animals, had spread far and wide across the planet. As time went on, agriculture, writing, and most importantly, civilization, followed. The first civilizations emerged about eight thousand years ago in central Aratacia and the northern Inquin peninsula. Drodo, however, did not start significantly effecting the planet until the Industrial age; When coal, oil, and natural gas became widespread. However, while these burnable fuels where available, another early competitor, solar power, also emerged around the same time. Solar power was far cheaper than coal, especially when shipping costs are considered, and oil was not as common as it was on Earth, making it more expensive, earlier. Coal was blown out of the economic competition, and the race was on against solar power and oil. The two sources traded places as dominant for decades, and oil burning made an adverse impact on the climate. Though due to this competition, and the fact that oil was less common then on Earth, global warming and the greenhouse effect never became as large a problem as it did on Earth or other planets.

Drodo Empire era
During the Imperial era, advanced technology, along with the total and universal adoption of solar and wind power, reduced carbon emissions greatly; By the 2600's, greenhouse levels where at pre-industrial levels.

Notable Sights and Cities
Imperial City - Formerly known as Arcadia city, Imperial city is the hub and centre of the Empire. A massive city, housing one billion people, it is known for its many districts, all with there own unique flavours; In some districts, you have the flashy, modern look of massive skyscrapers bearing experimental design and made using revolutionary architechural techniques, while in others there are quaint, old-fashioned buildings of brick, street vendors selling fresh produce or trinkets, and clubs; A distinctly "Drodoian" style of city. It houses the Drodoian parliament and possesses one of the several space elevators on the world.

The Orbital Ring - A gigantic, artificial ring around the equator of Coron, it is a more recent project, started in the 2740's. Completed in the late 2790's, but with many areas functional and in use before then, the Ring (as it is commonly referred to as) is a multipurpose trading hub, spaceport, agricultural centre, and shipyard, with areas cordoned off for these purposes. For many tourists it is among the most memorable things of there visit to see the massive structure orbit around the planet.