Mars has been shown to have a sea or an ocean and to be somewhat capable of sustaining ocean life. Near these oceans are oxygen plants that harvest oxygen from the seaweed. It has been noted by the year 2172 that Mars was as of yet incapable of sustaining life on its own, and still required stimulus from Earth to fuel it.
Mars' moons are Deimos and Phobos, both of which house space technology and Metatron technology of some variety. Deimos contained a Urenbeck Catapult and space station while Phobos was the true location of Project Aumaan.
Culture[]
On Mars the sense of camaraderie and community is strong, and there is a lack of racially and culturally founded prejudice. This ideology is directly related to the low sense of national affiliation with their homeland on Earth, and coupled with the distance between Earth and Mars the supporters of a "Martian Independence" are continually on the rise each year.[1] Additionally, it is stated that Martians, or at least a handful of them, regard those living in the Jupiter territory as "Enders", though such hypocritical prejudice has seldom, if ever, been observed.[2]
Martians live in large domes encapsulating entire cities called "spheres". Groups of these spheres are termed "nests". Martians have also previously lived in life-sustaining structures called "modules", though the widespread construction of spheres rendered them obsolete.[2]
Martian farmers grow crops that end up very tall and large due to the planet's lack of gravity and abundance of nutrients. The corn in one such farm was shown to have grown to several times the height of an adult human being.
The story of John Carter is known very well, as those stories contained themes of colonization on Mars and adventures. "John Carter" would be the alias of UNSF veteran James Links, whose incidental association with the name is one of the many reasons UNSF officer Baan Dorfloum would rabidly chase him.
Politics[]
Mars is divided into various counties, each of which is governed by a country on Earth. Currently, sixteen colonies compose the United Colonies of Mars (UCM).[1] Known counties include:
Hellas Planitia underlined
Hellespontos was where Cage Midwell and Myona Alderan crash land in after fighting Iblis for the first time, and where the events of Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars take place. The county may be named after Hellespont, the old name for the Dardanelles, or may take its name from the Hellas Depression and Hellas Planitia, a region with a massive crater like depression in the southern hemisphere of Mars .[3]
Margaritifer Terra underlined
Malgalityfel(Margaritifer) is where the capital is located. The UNSF sends troops from Malgalityfel to Hellespontos to stifle BAHRAM's attacks. A popularly-used train runs from Malgalityfel to other counties, which becomes the target of one of BAHRAM's assaults. Named after the Margaritifer Terra region of Mars to the West of Valles Marinaris.
Nereidamu was listed as Rachel Links's birthplace, though it could just be a misspelling of "Nereidum" and may simply be the same location.
Nereidum is responsible for much of Mars' technological advancement. It was home to Nereidum Universal Technology, and as such, is the most technologically advanced city in Mars. The county is likely named after the Nereidum Montes, a real-life mountain range on Mars.[4]
Vacilia (alternatively Vascilia) is home to the headquarters of radical Martian group BAHRAM, and is where the most vehemently anti-Earth ideologies run strong. It also maintains its own independent military and has conducted research to develop the Orbital Frame. Aumaan was believed to have been built in Vacilia's underground before it was revealed to have been on Phobos. The county is likely named after Vasilia Fastolfe, a character from Isaac Asmiov's Robot series.[5]
Mars has at least two political parties: a moderate party that aims for peace between Earthers and Martians, while trying to liberate Mars, and a radical party that aims to oppress Earthers and dominate them in revenge. The radical party, naturally, is backed by BAHRAM, and in 2172, has incorporates military seizure of the moderate party and induced a hostile takeover under the guidance of General Rutger Tyusha.
