Geography of Dynamo Island

Situated in the mid-Atlantic Ocean at a latitude similar to that of France, Dynamo is an island of approximately 150,000 square kilometres. Roughly circular in shape (it is 450km wide and 400km long), the island seems to swim like a green Angel Fish in the blue waters of the Atlantic. Alternatively, with the multiple tributaries of the main river, the Crease, flowing eastwards from the Handlebar Mountains to deliver their waters to the sea at the deep estuary at Veloxeter, it appears like a placenta floating in the ocean. Unaffected by the glaciations that sculpted the landscapes of northern Europe and America, the island has a fairly regular physical geography. Granitic mountains rise up to 2000 metres in the west and provide the watershed for the River Crease and its four main tributaries (from north to south: Pitch, Wicket, Oar and Rafter). The Crease rises at the mountains’ highest peak, Mount David (2000m) while its northerly tributary, the Pitch, flows down from Mount Alan (1500m). The headwaters of the Crease cut back through the Handlebar Mountains at the Rory Gap from whence the Connor Pass provides a high route through the westerly heights before descending steeply to Port Gary on the island’s west coast. A southern spur of the Handlebar Mountains continues eastwards along the southern coast of the island for some 250km terminating in the Ring Mountains, whose highest peak is Mount Eoin (1000m). The eastern spur is divided by the River Antinous which, rising in the Ring Mountains, flows in an almost complete circle from Mt Eoin eastwards, then northwards, then westwards to Boxcaster, whence it flows south to join the sea in a spectacular bay at Hadrianopolis, opposite the green gem that is Maurice Island.

Approximately 100km from the steep and rocky west coast, the Handlebar Mountains descend to then disappear beneath the broad limestone planes (up to 500m high) which slope eastwards to create the vast fertile lowlands of Arcadia, Velox and Campana. The rich alluvium carried by the Crease and its tributaries slows the main river considerably the nearer it reaches its estuary, with many meanders and lakes along the last 150km of the river’s course. Towards the eastern side of the country, the limestone strata in turn disappear beneath chalk which ends abruptly in the white cliffs that characterize the island’s eastern seaboard. Precipitation in the lofty mountain of the west coast is high (up to 80 cm in some areas) but falls off to around 60 cm in the east, with figures as low as 50 cm in the north-east.

Though lacking in coal and oil, the fast-flowing rivers gushing down from the Handlebar Mountains provide massive hydro-electric power. This power, along with the presence of deposits of iron ore (Sparta), tin, copper and lead (Sparta), silver, gold and lead (Spokane) has led to the establishment of important metallurgical industries, with iron and steel at Rugby (Sparta). The main cities along the Wicket and the Crease (Top March, Upper March and Lower March) are noted for their sophisticated engineering and electronic industries, including computer, camera and media technology. Lower March, at the confluence of the Crease and the Rafter, is famous for its Institute of Technology (DRIT). Oarhouse, at the confluence of the Oar and Rafter, is the centre of he country’s paper-milling and recycling industries using the carefully managed resources of the richly timbered Handlebar Mountains. Oarhouse is also famous for its boat-building industries and for its electric locomotive and carriage workshops.

At the confluence of the Pitch and the Crease, Hubcaster, as its name suggests, is at the centre of the island’s river and rail networks. It is he country’s most important milling and agricultural processing centre (sugar, wheat, barley, potatoes, leguminous crops) and a leader in agricultural engineering. It is also the country’s chief brewing centre (beer, cider, stout, whiskey), famous throughout the world for its Henry Tudor lager. The capital city, Veloxeter, at the mouth of the River Crease, is the country’s business and financial centre, the home of marine, aeronautical and bicycle engineering and centre for the manufacture of leather goods, sports gear and clothing.

The fertile lowlands of East Sparta, Velox, Campana, Pugilia and Olympia produce the country’s food requirements. In addition to sugar, wheat, barley, potatoes and legumes, the southern provinces are noted for their orchards and soft fruit farms, with vines being cultivated on the southern slopes of the Curran and Ring Mountains in Olympia and Pugilia respectively. Anasi and Benoit are both important brewing centres while Philadelpho is the centre of the island’s wool industry. West Campana and Velox are the main dairying and market gardening regions. The country’s main fishing ports are situated on the north and west coasts: Saint Sebastien, Port Gary, Cliveden, New Dublin and Philadelpho.