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by The Estral Republic of Aizcona. . 191 reads.

Geography of Aizcona

Geography of Aizcona
Categories: Aizcona

Geography of Aizcona
Geographical data on the Aizconan Peninsula


Continent: Gael
Region: The Western Isles
Area: 5th in Gael
  • Total:

  • Land:

  • Water:

  • Coastline:

  • Borders:

Highest Point:
Lowest Point: Southern Sea/Argean Sea (0 m)
Longest River: Senderocielos River


Aizcona is a country in the South-Western portion of the continent of Gael, situated on a peninsula that juts out from the central highlands of Gael. It is located in the Northern Hemisphere in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Argean Sea and the Southern Sea. It is bordered to its east fully by the nation of Balnik.

The defining landmarks of Aizcona are the Aizconan Great Lakes around which fertile plains and farmlands are centered around, and the Peninsular Spine (--WIP-- Name in Aizconan based around Mythology --WIP--), a mountain range that separates the Great Lakes from the Southern Coast of Aizcona. Estra, the Capital and a major port, sits on the banks of the Bahía de los Reyes part of the Argean Sea, and also straddles the Río Marrón which is the outflow for the Great Lakes. Aizcona is the fifth largest nation in Gael with a land area of -- and a water area of --. With a population of 18,645,000, Aizcona is the fifth most populous in Gael.

Topography and Hydrology

Aizcona is located on the South-Western tip of Gael and its land is considered to be a peninsula of Gael. The lands of Aizcona were formed when Gael broke away from Argus ~35 million years ago. As Gael separated, the crust deformed which led to the lifting of the main island of the I.D and leading to a lowering of the area that would become the Great Lakes region. Mantle hotspots due to this tectonic shifting would create a number of the islands around Aizcona and the I.D and would create a number of volcanoes in Aizcona, with all but one becoming extinct in the present day. Due to this land formation, present day Aizcona is left with three distinctive topographical features; the Aizconan Spine, the Central Depression, and the volcano Mt. Vainoss in the North-Western part of the peninsula. The Central Depression's distinctive Topographical and Hydrological feature, the Aizconan Great Lakes, were formed ~20,000 years ago during the last glacial maximum, where they were dug out of the Central Depression by Glaciers expanding downwards from the Aizconan Spine.

Topographically, the majority of Aizcona's land is predominantly plains, coastal flats, and river deltas and marshes. This constitutes around 60% of the land area, focused mainly around the coast and the central depression. In the interior and especially around the Aizconan Spine, 30% of the land is hilly, with this hilly land being predominantly covered by forest. Finally around 10% of the land is mountainous, mainly in the Aizconan Spine, which also has a number of valleys. Forests cover about 40% of Aizcona. The West Coast, especially the Northwestern part, is considered to be a temperate rainforest.

Overall Aizcona has a jagged coastline with numerous bays and natural harbors which has aided the development of a seafaring culture. The largest bay is situated at the Northern Coast of Aizcona, the Bahía de los Reyes. Aizcona's western coast runs along the Ailvain Channel, which separates Aizcona from the I.D and is a part of the Argusian-Gaelitic Channels that connect the Argean Sea to the Southern Sea and separates Argus and Gael. Aizcona does have ownership of two islands, --WIP-- off the northern coast and --WIP-- in the Ailvain Channel.

The most notable hydrological feature of Aizcona is of course the Great Lakes, these three lakes located in the Central Depression, El Gran Lago, Lago Estrellado, and Lago Daihbi are respectively the second, third and fourth largest lakes in Gael. They form the key feature of the Great Lakes drainage basin which encompasses six major rivers, four feeding into the Great Lakes, one, the Dain River, connecting El Gran Lago and Lago Daihbi, and an outlet, the Río Marrón which drains all the water from the drainage basin into the Argean Sea. There are five other major rivers in Aizcona, three draining into the Southern Sea, one draining into the Ailvain Channel, and another draining into the Argean Sea. The longest river is the Senderocielos, which flows from the Aizconan Spine into Lago Daihbi. Technically the Estrellado river is longer but most of the river is located in Balnik where its source is located.

Climate

Koppen-Climate Map of Aizcona
Located entirely within the temperate zone, the climate of Aizcona is almost entirely within group c temperate climates as based around the Koppen-Climate Classification, the only difference being in Aizcona's mountainous areas which due to their elevation are colder year round than the rest of Aizcona. The predominant climate is a humid subtropical climate (cfa), this is the case in both the Central Depression and along the Southern Coast, which due to the southern sea, has a slightly warmer climate year round. Along the nation's west coast, the climate is predominantly a temperate oceanic climate due to rainfall coming from both the Argean and the Southern Sea. Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare. As would be expected by the nation's abundance of water, high humidity and fog are common.

Seasons are fairly well defined, and in most of Aizcona spring is usually damp, cool, and windy; summers are warm; autumns are mild; and winters are chilly and somewhat uncomfortably damp. The hilly interior of Aizcona, however, is farther from large bodies of water and therefore has warmer summers and milder and drier winters than the rest of the country. Average highs and lows in summer in Estra are 28 and 17 °C (82.4 and 62.6 °F), respectively, with an absolute maximum of 43 °C (109.4 °F); comparable numbers for Albuvelas in the interior are 33 and 18 °C (91.4 and 64.4 °F), with the highest temperature ever recorded 42 °C or 107.6 °F. Winter average highs and lows in Estra are 14 and 6 °C (57.2 and 42.8 °F), respectively, although the high humidity makes the temperatures feel colder; the lowest temperature registered in Estra is −4 °C (24.8 °F). Averages in January of a high of 18 °C (64.4 °F) and a low of 7 °C (44.6 °F) in Albuvelas confirm the milder winters in the hilly interior, but even here temperatures have dropped to a subfreezing −4 °C (24.8 °F). Higher in elevation, the mountains of the Aizconan spine have colder average temperatures year round and frequently have snow in the winter, spring and fall months.

Average daily highs and lows for cities across Aizcona

Location

Jan (C/C,F/F)

July (C/F)

Albuvelas

18/7 , 64.4/44.6

33/18 , 91.4/64.4

Estra

14/6 , 57.2/42.8

28/17, 82.4/62.6

Odisemmal

Jan (C/F)

July (C/F)

Sartiexo

Jan (C/F)

July (C/F)

Sevilva

Jan (C/F)

July (C/F)

For the majority of Aizcona, rainfall is largely evenly spread throughout the year. Albuvelas averages 950 millimeters (37.4 in) annually, and Estra receives 1,035 millimeters (40.7 in) in an average year. The Western coast of Aizcona which has an oceanic climate sees a larger amount of rain throughout the year. Sartiexo averages 1,235 millimeters (48.6 in). The Southern Coast does receive less rainfall than the north with Odisemmal averaging 710 millimeters (27.95 in). As in most temperate climates, rainfall results from the passage of cold fronts in winter, falling in overcast drizzly spells, and summer thunderstorms are frequent. Snowfall occurs throughout the winter months and the late fall and early spring in Aizcona's mountains. It does also happen occasionally in other parts of the nation during the winter, although it is not frequent. Due to the nation's high humidity, frost often graces the ground and people's cars throughout fall and spring mornings and ice can be a hazardous part of the winter.

High winds can be a disagreeable part of the nation's climate.

Natural Hazards

Natural hazards are a common occurrence in Aizcona, with rather extreme events happening more occasionally. Much of these natural hazards and disasters have to do with the abundant water that flows in Aizcona throughout the course of a year. Along with that the proximity of Aizcona to old fault lines lead to earthquakes, weather patterns contribute to frequent thunderstorms, and on occasion throughout the year, extreme events can lead to tornadoes and waterspouts. Windstorms of course as well can be quite damaging. On the opposite end of the spectrum Aizcona even has to deal with brushfires during the warmer months along the Aizconan Spine which are becoming more frequent due to global climate change.


Waterspout sighted on El Gran Lago (9/14/2007)
The most frequent natural disasters in Aizcona stem from the high average rainfalls, abundance of groundwater, and large and abundant hydrological features the nation contains. Flooding can often occur throughout the year which is due to strong storms overfilling rivers or quicker meltwater releases due to a quick warming in the spring. These events cause rivers to run down and back up in gorges or floodplains around the nation. Thunderstorms also contribute to landslides that occur in mountainous or hilly terrain and which happen often in the North-West of the nation. These can damage infrastructure like rails and roads and can lead to severe housing damage. On average floods kill the most people out of any natural disaster in Aizcona.

High winds and strong weather patterns can often be damaging. Often a few large windstorms throughout the year can lead to trees coming down and lead to roof damage for many Aizconans. More dangerous, supercells can lead to powerful thunderstorms and worse can lead to occasional tornadoes. Often these tornadoes are only F0 or F1 with F3s or higher being extremely rare, but these can be extremely damaging and dangerous. Due to this waterspouts can form on top of the Great Lakes, although these will dissipate upon encountering land. Of lesser damaging potential, these supercell storms can also lead to hail falling which is quite damaging to cars and windows.

In contrast to the damaging potential of Aizcona's rain, the moutainous areas of Aizcona are prone to brushfires. These are due to a lack of fuel management in those areas, large forests and the high winds can lead to brushfires that quickly ignite and grow during the summer months. Aizcona's amount of rain does often help manage these brushfires but often firefighters are needed to battle the blazes. Heatwaves and droughts can lead to many more brushfires breaking out during a year, as happened in the 2003 fire season, and there are concerns that climate change will make brush fires happen more often.

Due to Aizcona's location, tectonic events happen frequently throughout the year, the age of these fault lines though lessen the severity of these events. Earthquakes happen frequently in proximity to Aizcona, although most do not go higher in magnitude than a five. In a given year earthquake damage pales in comparison to damage caused by flooding. More powerful earthquakes have occurred like the 7.1 magnitude August 2nd earthquake of 1981 which caused widespread damage around Sartiexo. These magnitude quakes though happen extremely infrequently. A large worry to scientists is the volcano, Mt. Vainoss. The volcano is largely dormant and last erupted in 1903 but scientists worry that an eruption could occur within the next 150 years and lead to widespread damage around the nation's North-West.


Brush Tailed Rock Wallabies in Southern Aizcona
Flora and Fauna

The flora and fauna of Aizcona is quite indicative of the sub-continent of Gael. Aizcona shares many species with its neighboring nations of Roendavar and Balnik and even so far as Ainslie it shares much biodiversity with, this is due to the duration of time that Gael has been seperated from Argus and the fact that species are able to cross from the west coast of Aizcona, all the way to the eastern coast of Ainslie. Much of Gael's species are reminiscent of both Australia and the Western Coast of the Americas. Due to Aizcona's proximity to Argus, Aizcona is the crossing point between species able to make the jump between the sub-continents. This has all led to Aizcona having a unique and diverse array of wildlife.

  • Notable tree species include jacaranda trees, eucalypt trees, Redwoods, Hickories and Oaks.

  • Aizcona has many species of mammals including Brush Tailed Rock Wallabies, Daihbi Beavers, Anteaters, Gliders, Antelopes, Water Bison, and Dwarf Tigers.

  • Aizcona has a rich and varied stock of reptiles including many snakes like the Gaelitic Ringneck and both freshwater and saltwater crocodiles.

  • One of Aizcona's richest sources of biodiversity comes from its stock of birds, many birds pass through Aizcona as they migrate from Argus to Gael and back and there are quite many that stay in Aizcona year round like the Laughing Kookaburra.

  • Marine creatures flourish in Aizcona due to its vast number of Lakes and Rivers and due to reefs that are located off of the Southern Coast. This has led to a very diverse culinary background based on these seacreatures. Notably though are the number of seals that grace Aizcona's coasts and the diversity of sharks that thrive near Aizcona's shores.

Land Use and Settlement Patterns

-- WIP --

Environment and Ecology

Aizcona's ecology is heavily tied into the ecology of Gael but along with that Aizcona has served as a point of entry for species from Argus to Gael and vice-versa. This cross continental transfer has sped up since humans colonized the lands of Argus and Gael. This has led to Aizcona having an interesting ecology, although it has also meant that invasive species have caused damage to Aizcona's natural environment over the past few millennia. Due to deforestation, overhunting and pollution quite a number of plants and animals have gone extinct in Aizcona over the years or are endangered in the present day.

Pollution, particularly water pollution, is one of Aizcona's most significant environmental issues. Fresh water quality is under pressure from agriculture, hydropower, urban development, pest invasions and climate change, although much of the country's household and industrial waste is now increasingly filtered and often recycled. This pollution was especially a big concern in the Great Lakes which due to industrialization had become quite damaged by the 1960s when the government stepped in to help clean them up. Since then conservation in Aizcona has become a much greater topic and focus of concern.

Some areas of land, the sea, rivers or lakes are protected by law, so their special plants, animals, landforms and other distinctive features are sheltered from harm. Aizcona has -- national parks, -- marine reserves, and a number of scenic, historic, recreation and other reserves. The Department of Conservation is tasked with over seeing the protection of all of this.

Aizcona is party to a number of multilateral environmental agreements. The major ones are listed here: ------.


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