Majuro

Now just a few years from its bicentenary, the city of Majuro (population as of last census 2,062,347) began its charter process by the Saganami Dai Ichizoku after the second time the Vulcan Arms Industrial Park outgrew its borders (also chartered by the Saganami Dai Ichizoku). Majuro is built near the shores of Lake Wanaka, the largest freshwater body on the continent. The lake is 1636 km long and 279 km wide, with an average depth of 745 meters and a maximum depth of 1643 meters, in a rift valley formed by the genesis of the Gakkel Ridge. The bottom of of the lake is 1186 meters below sea level, but below this lies some seven kilometers of sediment, placing the rift floor between eight and eleven kilometers below the surface. There are severeal hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the lake with water reaching temperatures as high as fifty degrees celsius in places. Stormy weather on the lake is common and can result in waves as high as five meters. Over three hundred rivers and streams drain into the massive lake. The largest outflow tributary is the Flowerdale River which flows 1736 km northeast to the Akai Umi {red ocean}, with an average depth of ninety two meters it is navigable by both barges, and freighters with a maximum draft of sixteen meters. Majuro is the second largest center of heavy industry on Nejiro. Like Leyte, it is a fortified multi-walled city, both for protection from hostile forces, and to protect the city and environment from hazardous materials and processes. Many walled wards of the city also have moats of various sizes and materials to assist in seperation of hazardous materials and processes from other wards. Walls, residences, civic, and government buildings are lime-washed with crushed nacre (both for safety and an iconic, artistic appearance), all other buildings are whitewashed with a variety of earths and pozzolanic materials to achieve a wide span of color across the city, with an architectural watchword of elegance in form and function. The city keeps the most stringent safety and environmental protection standards globally. Majuro is one of the largest employers of engineers and technicians, with some of the highest salaries on Nejiro. STEM, the science news monthly magazine and broadcast channel, is headquartered here along with their digital and media production studios for educational and news programs. The Institute of Technology, a city sponsored public school teaching secondary thru university students, is associated with both the Guild apprenticeship system, and Nagoya University, and enjoys research and internship exchanges and collaborations with many of the city's and Nejiro's government departments, guilds, industries, and businesses, and graduates some of the finest field scientists and engineers in system. Majuro's endeavors include all aspects of industry from raw materials processing to aeronautics and robotics manufacturing. Its shipbuilding encompasses both military and civilian river, coastal, and deep water craft. Majuro is the third largest railroad manufacturer after Leyte and Tarawa. Majuro also manufactures heavy machine tools and equipment for mining, construction, transportation, power generation, materials production, and factories. Tourism is not a priority of the city economy, but it does have a few tourist centered activities such as sailing regattas, and lake activities. There is also the Rakko Hozon (a Crown Nature Preserve) on the opposite side of the lake, to which the gravid rakko females begin to arrive in late May and early June for their nesting grounds (established millenia before the founding of the city). Rakko {walking whales} are a protected species, an unofficial mascot of the city. They are large semiaquatic, furred, omnivorous, cetecea, with powerful jaws, nonretractile claws, strong limbs, and flipper like hind feet. They average about four meters long (with some males reaching five or six meters) and weigh about two hundred kilograms. On land; which they come to for fresh water, vegetation, and to give birth during the dry season; they waddle somewhat, but swims powerfully and gracefully in water where they spend the majority of their time, and hunt large fish like sunfish and sharks cooperatively. The last two weeks of the dry season, in November, the Flowerdale River trade lanes and Majuro Port shut down for the Rakko Gather to allow pods to rejoin and greet the new pups and return to sea without interference (after several early incidences led to greatly damaged ships and loss of life), only sailing vessels (unpowered and of limited metric) are allowed on the lake at this time. Over time this has become somewhat of a festival, very popular with photographers, tourists, and sailors. Photographers and tourists are allowed to observe through cameras, binoculars, or telescopes from outside a certain zone that stretches well into Lake Wanaka (there are usually several larger rakko males on sentry duty). City Security, and law enforcement is handled by a cooperative effort between the Saganami Household Guard, the Nejiro Defense Troop, Nejiro Peace Oficers, and the NPO Sea Patrol. Emergency services and hazardous materials mitigation on land and water are provided by the Nejiro Fire Brigade which serves the city from over two dozen houses.There is a publicly elected City Council which in turn elects a Mayor (currently Milton Bai). The largest airport on Shinrin is the Majuro Intercontinental, located on the outskirts of the city, has daily cargo and passenger flights worldwide, an irregular dropship schedule, and regular small craft flights across the stellar system. The jewel of the city is the art noveau style Majuro Station, home to a great many high speed passenger and freight lines that travel the continent daily, and also to the monorail and tram systems that serve as public transportation for the city.