Kingston

O Kingston, my Home! My People! Free! Free at last!

— Gerald Holst

Kingston is a large ocean world, the largest terrestrial planet in its system, and located just under 40 light years from Sol. It is the third planet in the Lordania system, with Lordania as its closest neighbor. Lying at the inner edge of the star's habitable zone, the planet is a humid, tropical to sub-tropical paradise. The planet's surface is 90% water covered, compared to Earth's 71%.
The planet has two major continents, as well as a considerable number of islands that vary in size. The largest continent is Kalihar, equivalent in size to Africa. It lies close to the equator. It contains six independent nations, with the largest being the Republic of Havana. The second continent, Garash, is roughly the size of Russia. It lies east of Kalihar, and occupies much of the northern hemisphere. Garash is home to one nation, the United States of Garash. The Bromsay Archipelago lies between the two, with most of the islands independent from any major power. To the west of Garash are the Shackleford Islands, a minor republic. In the eastern southern hemisphere lies Sisoti, an island nation with a geography comparable to Iceland. The last major island chain is the Thalia Chain, lying south west of Kalihar and largely isolated and sparely populated. The planet is both geologically active, and can generate extreme weather conditions. Though megatsunamis are rare, they have occurred enough in Kingstonian history to warrant heavy investment into disaster mitigation.
The Kingston Plateau is a shallow, reef-filled area that covers Havana Bay and extends several miles out to sea, before gradually descending to the abyssal plains of the sea floor. On the Plateau, many underwater settlements have been constructed, as well as extensive colonisation of the deep sea. It is here, in the great submerged cities, that Kingston's Tritonian population live and work.
Kingston is a popular tourist destination, with it's capital, New Havana, rated as the #1 tourist destination for Sol residents 2298, 2302, and 2306. An estimated 650 million tourists visit annually. It has extremely close ties to Sol, which has funded much of Kingston's extensive building projects. Kingston is extremely multicultural, and heavily in favour of free immigration.

Formally the United Nations of the Republic of Kingston, the planet has closer ties to Sol than it does the Second Lordanian Republic.

Geography

The planet is mostly water, with various island chains linking the planet. While a highway and magnetic train system link many of the islands, boats are incredibly popular amongst tourists and workers alike. Most of the islands are humid and tropical, though larger formations of mountain ridges and volcanos are common on most large islands. Many of the islands on the planet have been created via tectonic plates or volcanic eruption, making the planet more geologically active than Earth. Despite this, technology of the 24th century has developed enough to mitigate most structural damage done in the event of earthquakes or tsunamis. A notable exception to this is the Great Flooding of 2264.
The planet experiences warm temperatures all year round, with one year being roughly 237 Earth days. A day on Kingston lasts around 45 Earth hours. The planet has two moons, both of which are unoccupied by humans, save for resource harvesting and scientific endeavours.

Continents

Kallihar

The largest continent on the planet is Kallihar, located near the equator. The island is linked by several smaller islands and shallow oceans. A large central mountain range exists across the length of the island, running into an underwater mountain chain. The island's most prominent feature, other than its great mountains, is the Havana Bay, and Kingston Cove. The plateau under the bay turns it into a shallow reef, visible from space. It has been extensively colonised with underwater settlements. The city of New Havana lies on the south coast of the cove. It is the capital city of the United Nations of the Republic of Kingston. On the northern end of the cove lies the city of Otatota, regional capital of North Kallihar.

Garash

Garash is the second continent on the planet, stretching from the warm waters of the equator, to the frozen arctic ice in the north. The entire continent makes up the Commonwealth of Garash, with Hulltown as its capital, serving as a vital point on the intercontinental highways. Garash contains many climate regions, from the sub-tropical south reaching up to boreal forests and ice sheets near the north pole. It could roughly be compared to Earth's North America in terms of geographic and climate regions, and Russia in terms of size. A large mountain range runs down the middle of the island, dividing the continent into several climate zones, including deserts and tundra.

Islands

Bromsay

Bromsay is an archipelago located in the shallow bay between Garash and Kallihar. The islands in Bromsay are independent members of the UNRK. The largest and most imporant city here is Amaigia, but it is far from the only one. Amaigia is a trade city, developed around the highway system, and predominantly handles incoming and outgoing sea trade, which remains extremely profitable for planet wide trade. The archipelago connects Kallihar and Garash together, and is home to much of the Sol's planetary infrastructure outside of the capital.

Thalia

The next largest island chain is Thalia, an archipelago of five islands, numerous islets, and seamounts, located in the South Mechis Ocean. It is a small republic nation with its capital in Thalis. It is located to the south of Tritonia, and south-west of Kallihar. Thalis is a cold, sparsely populated settlement that survives on rare earth and natural resources. Despite it's isolation, it is one of the most industrialised nations on the planet, with a large portion of its population working in the industrial sector. It is considered a Constitutional Monarchy, an oddity and a relic in the 24th Century, and a source of much tourism.

Sisoti

Sisoti is the most isolated, and most southern island on the planet. It is volcanically and geologically active, characterised by lava fields and glaciers. It has been described by many as a contemporary to Iceland, prior to Earth's climate disaster. Sisoti provides a majority of Kingston's energy requirements through the use of geothermal power. The Sisoti Republic is a friendly and democratic nation, and its people are known to be exceptionally friendly.

Shackford Chain

The Shackleford Chain lies east of Garash. It is a small, geographically isolated continental island chain located in northern hemisphere. It is comprised of two large islands connected by a jagged and rough seabridge. The Republic of Armencio is located on the larger of the two islands. It is a minor republic frequently beset by economic downturn, with its capital in Armencio. Due to it's proximity to Tritonia, the region has become a center for shipbuilding, and naval operations.

Ocean Cities

Tritonia is the name given to the government that administrates the Kingston Plateau to the west of Havana Bay. Despite being underwater, it sits at a comfortable enough pressure to allow for large scale developments. Originally founded as an offshore natural gas and refinement facility, the area grew massively due to Tritonian immigration in the mid 2200s. It is now a formal democratic republic, the first to ever be founded by Tritonians outside of Sol.

Neptune

Neptune is large metropolitan region built off the north coast of Kallihar. It has been built both above and below water, and hosts a large spaceport. Large parts of the shallow oceans to the west of Neptune have been developed into kelp harvesting and habitation areas for the Tritonian citizens of the planet.

Varuna

Varuna is located much further out in the ocean, built on a continental slope. There are no above-water developments for this city, and it is only accessible via submersible shuttlecraft. Despite this isolation, it has become home to some of the most prominent Tritonian thinkers, a city of Tritonian culture.

History

Law and Government

Kingston is a transnational nation, with each island divided into it's own state. Similar to the 21st Century USA, each state has it's own laws and government, with senators convening in New Havana to discuss politics. Currently Kingston is governed by President Oona Lewandoski. The largest country is technically Tritonia, the underwater nation lays claim to vast areas of underwater land. However, the most populous is Kallihar. Formally, it makes up the United Metropolises of Lordania and Kingston, an economic and political partnership.
Traditionally neutral, Kingston has maintained it's status quo for over 40 years now. However, the recent socio-cultural movements across the planet have brought about change.

Military

Kingston is protected by both the SLR Defence Fleet, and by it's own planetary defence force. The Kingston PDF is typically comprised of reservists, who when needed are drafted into the SLR Fleet or Army, or otherwise serve as border and immigration control. It has enjoyed relative peace for it's entire existence.

Kingston and Lordania (Star)

Circumference
46702.9 km²
Average Temperature
20°C
Orbital Period (Year)
1.88 Earth Years
Rotational Period (Day)
32.6 Earth Hours
Surface Pressure
93.8kPa

Type

Planet

Location under

Lordanian Cluster

Included Locations

• Amaigia
• Neptune

Included Organizations

• Republic of Kingston

Owning Organization

Republic of Kingston

Related Ethnicities

• Afro-Arabic
• Lordanian

Contested By

• Confederate Systems of Lordania

Characters in Location

• Oona Lewandoski

History

The planet was colonised in the mid-to-late 22nd century by immigrants from the nearby capital system of Lordania. Lordania had for some time been waging a class war, forcing many of the poorer individuals off-world into orbital habitats. Kingston was established by several of these colonists, along with Sol migrants, fleeing internal core-world conflict. By the beginning of the 23rd century, the planet had renegotiated it's position with Lordania, and the two founded the United Metropolitans, with workers from Kingston, and goods from Lordania. This act of goodwill between the two planets is key to why Kingston developed so rapidly.
In the mid 23rd century, Kingston became part of the People's Republic of Lordania, an autocratic state within the region. While much of the planet was developed and improved during this period, many Sol Natives suffered discrimination and persecution. The militarisation of Kingston's economy significantly weakened it, forced to fund a war that would never happen, as the People's Republic collapsed due to internal conflict and external rebellion in 2280, leading to a period of interregnum in which Kingston was formally independent.
After several years of redevelopment and rebuilding, Kingston began to find its own independence more valued than before, engaging in widespread immigration and defence treaties with the Sol Central Government, eventually becoming a member alongside Lordania in the year 2286. Since becoming a member, the planet has become a premier tourist destination for visitors from across space.

Culture

The Kingstonians are a varied bunch of people. Notoriously stoic and easy-going, Kingstoners are known to keep their heads in a crisis. This has reflected in a somewhat negative 'laid-back' stereotype. One thing that unifies all Kingstoners is their respect for the ocean. In the same way learning to drive a car is considered a rite of adulthood, on Kingston, so too is learning to sailing a boat.
The people of Kingston are known for their sense of ease and "laidback attitudes". Growing up on a waterworld, most Kingstonians can sail a boat, something rare in the 24th Century.
As the planet is divided into large islands, many different cultures exist on the planet. The majority of these cultures are descendent from various Solar cultures, such as Monisian and English. Outside of Sol influence, large groups of Kingstonians speak Spacer.