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Geography of the Republic of Wyneries
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Overview
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Commonly shortened to just Wyneries, the Republic of Wyneries (RoW) has a simple geography. The
entire country consists of land that neighboring inhabitants considered unfit for human habitation. Actively
volcanic until a mere 8,000 years ago, 86% of the entire country is covered with relatively recent lava flows.
The barren landscape was referred to by neighboring natives as "the Land of Rock and More Rock." Indeed, the
original settlers called their country "Rockland." The seemingly endless lava flows are only occasionally
broken by patches of "old land" not covered with lava, by stream and river beds where silt deposits sporadically
support dense vegetation, and patches of "new land" built by man throughout the period of "the Great Fertility"
(see History). The "old land" is mostly forested. Downhill areas immediately adjoining "old land" is usually
covered with a thin layer of eroded soil and supports the mainstay of the country -- vineyards that feed the
many wineries.
Wyneries land area is 99,068 square miles. It possesses one mountain range, part sedimentary and part
igneous, and numerous stunning volcanic cones and uplifts. Most of the country, however, exists on a gentle
"base slope" rising from sea level to about 560 feet.
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Regions
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Wyneries can be viewed as consisting of three regions banded north to south.
The northern region, which contains the two peninsulas, the Black Forest and the agriculturally important
North Valley, is simply called "the Headlands." It is dominated by the River North, the twin bays of Newhaven and
Pool, and Big Lake. It is an important mining region.
The central region, which actually contains more wineries than the Headlands, is dominated by the River
Deep and River Robin, two fairly significant mountains, and Sherwood Forest. It is known as "the Belly" and
contains a dozen additional smaller mountains and forests, surrounded by vineyards. It also contains the national
capitol and over half of the nation's manufacturing is located along the lower banks of the Rivers Robin and Deep.
The southern region, known as "the Backbone" for obvious reasons, is dominated by the Green Mountains, the
Rivers Flow and Fall, Lake Kimberly, and 20 minor mountains with attending forests and surrounding vineyards. The
region contains the largest human population, 80% of all domesticated grazing animals (goats, sheep and cattle),
58% of the "truck farms" in the country, and a greatest number of wineries than either of the other two regions.
There is also some important mining activities in both the Green Mountains and in several mountains further south.
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Climate
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Overall, RoW has a mild, but changeable, Oceanic climate with few extremes. The warmest recorded air
temperature was 39 °C (102.2 °F) at Junction on 26 June 1897, whereas the lowest recorded temperature was -8.61 °C
(16.5 °F) on Mount Taylor on 16 January 1921.
Being in the southern hemisphere, the seasons in RoW are opposite those north of the equator.
The greatest recorded annual rainfall was 104.9 inches at Shearing in 1960. The driest year on record was
1887, with only 35.6 inches of rain recorded at Overwatch, while the longest period of absolute drought was at
Pointe where there was no recorded rainfall for over 36 days during October and November of 1938.
The climate is typically insular, and as a result of the moderating moist winds which ordinarily prevail
from the west and northwest, it is of a temperate nature, avoiding the extremes in temperature of many other
global areas sharing similar latitudes.
Precipitation falls throughout the year, but is light overall, particularly in the Green Mountains. The
coastal regions, however, tend to be wetter on average. The northwestern headlands are prone to the full force of
South Pacific storms, more especially in the late autumn and winter months, which occasionally bring destructive
winds and high rainfall totals to these areas. The only recorded snowfall is in the Green Mountains and at Bend,
although Bend has not had any lying snow since August 1991.
Inland areas are warmer in summer, and colder in winter - there are usually around 40 days of single digit
(in °C) temperatures at inland weather stations, but only 10 days at coastal stations. Wyneries is sometimes
affected by heat waves, most recently 1995, 2003, 2006.
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Geology
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As stated, 14% of the surface area of RoW is "old land" and 86% is "new land." Both are volcanic in
origin with about 4.5 millions years separating them. Both volcanic deposits sit atop the Melanesian Arc
tectonic plate which in turn is built on Mesozoic ocean crust. This plate has been colliding for eons with
the Australian continental crust, which has folded the crust into a series of rippled ridges which were later
thrust further upward by magma intrusions and then partially covered by surface flows and ejected ash deposits.
Thus, RoW is built of complex geology. The oldest mountain range contain very ancient weathered seabed and
both ancient and occasionally modern volcanic insults. The old soil atop the "old land" is deep, balanced
and mineral rich.
The most recent lava flows cover most of the country and all of the lowlands. They range in thickness
from 20 to 220 feet. The older intrusions are primarily tonalite (hornblend-biotite-quartz-diorite), but the
newer flows are light, aery basalt with occasional silica (mostly quartzite) "sinks" noted for containing minor
gold deposits. The most significate of these is the 144-square mile sink north of Delaney, discovered by Bonnie
Delaney and friends in 1890.
An east-west mountain range, over 410 miles in total length, dominates the geography of southern RoW. Its
central ridge averages 2,642 feet with the highest point, Mount Taylor, rising 3381 feet above sea level. Trees
grow to the summits, although sparsely at the higher elevations.
Two large forests, one central and one northern, contain half the trees in RoW
Big Lake, an ancient lake-filled crater in the western headlands, contains 88% of all the fresh water in
RoW. In the southwest, Lake Kimberly, originally called Crater Lake, bears ample evidence it may be kimberlitic.
Since most of the ejecta and all of the core from that ancient eruption is, unfortunately, under lava or under
water, it is difficult to analyze. Explorations are currently ongoing to determine if the core contains diamonds.
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Water
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RoW only has three rivers whole contained within the country, the River Flow, River Fall and River Robin,
and one underground river, the Waterbury Tube (North fork of River Flow). Two additional rivers, the River North
and River Deep, enter RoW from the east and travel through Wyneries on their way to the ocean.
The three Wynerian rivers have many feeder tributaries. River Robin actually has three tributaries, all
small, which converge at Sherwood. The two southern rivers, the Flow and Fall, have several minor tributaries
and many feeder streams and creeks -- many of these are intermittent, frequently disappearing underground due to
the porous and fractured nature of the surface lava. All three rivers and most tributaries are spring-fed along
their entire lengths year round, supplemented by surface runoff which occasionally creates localized flood
conditions. Neither river has ever been known to run dry.
Where surface lava flows have been eroded through by the rivers, the river channels are deep. Where
channels are still confined within the surface flow layer, they are more shallow. Silt deposits collect only
where the topography permits, but such deposits are usually densely vegetated.
The River Flow is navigable to 1.5-fathom drafts for 111 miles, to Millford. It is navigable another 36
miles to 1-fathom drafts. The River Fall is navigable from the mouth of its channel to a distance of but 29
miles. However, a 14-mile stretch from Waterbury downstream is popular for recreational boating. River Robin is
navigable only to shallow drafts. Both the River Deep and River North are navigable across their entire passage
through RoW.
The water table is generally not far below the lower boundary of the surface flow layer and easily
accessible by wells. Even hand dug wells served the early settlers without complication. The volcanic surface
is both porous and fractured, allowing rainfall to percolate downward fairly easily. Table depth varies, but
is almost universally sufficient to defy over-pumping.
Artesian springs abound in the Green Mountains and feed several natural lakes, with runoff flowing
primarily into the River Fall.
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