Xupanu 2135

Xupanu was discovered by a Chinese science team and claimed as Chinese territory in 2135.

It has a similar land to ocean ratio as Earth except that two giant continents have come together in two places (North West and South), making a land locked 'central' ocean the size of Africa. After settlement, the central ocean was seeded with both red and green Oxgae in order to terraform the planet. The two continents were unofficially named Yin for the Western side and Yang for the Eastern side. Although these were never declared officially, but they have become their names through common use.

Mountain ridges lie across where these two continents came together. The North West join has a flow of water that changes direction with each tide created by the very Moon like moon. The flow is never long enough to allow water from one ocean to reach the other so mixing of the oceans is limited to the channel. Climatologists however think this will change soon due to the effect of the terraforming climate change that only completed in 2158, a relatively slow conversion due to mixing red and green Oxgae, along with the limited ocean surface seeded and volcanic activity.

The North West mountains have been named 'The Sacred Mountains' and they are felt by many to be 'the most beautiful place'. Trees have been planted here to grow to become 'beautiful miniatures', and many people have been drawn to live in the 'heavenly beauty' despite its harsh terrain. The capital city of Yhansu is south of the Sacred Mountains and it lies in a vast plain.

Where the continents join in the south, the mountains are called the Fire Mountains because of the continuous volcanic activity. The second largest city of Youdu sits to their East with a view of the largest volcano, famed for its large lava lake and hot springs.

Knowing they wouldn't be allowed to keep control of the colony, China setup a party political structure where those loyal to China were promoted in the local political party, aiding their standing in the free election. The structure was of course established before the colony crossed the 20k people threshold only one year later in 2136, triggering the Settlement Act 2109. The opportunities for work were the main immigration draw, despite the atmosphere requiring a Belter lifestyle until 2158. After independence, Xupanu is only 'assisted' by China and closely watched over by all the institutions of the HA.

Mass migration to the two cities has bolstered the planetary population to 500m people by 2215. The planet will eventually be self-feeding, but population growth outstrips current domestic supply, forcing the need for massive food imports, paid for by the massive manufacturing output.