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Colony Name: Gargola 3
Creator: Margaret Kipp (mkipp@freenet.carleton.ca)
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GEOGRAPHY

System/Location: Gargola System; just outside Klingon space;
                 close to the Badlands; system contains five
                 planets and an asteroid belt

Distance to Nearest Starbase: 1 week to DS9, 3 days to Outpost 53
                              (inside Klingon space)

Planet Classification: L-Class (average daily temperature 26
                       degrees Celsius, rotation 28 hours,
                       revolution 402 days, axial tilt 17
                       degrees, gravity 1.26 G)

Satellites/Space Stations: five natural satellites (all less
                           than 50 km across but with a high
                           albedo)/two orbital space stations

Land/Water Ratio: 55% Land/ 45% Water
                  Land is 55% dessert, although temperate areas
                  do exist, especially closer to the poles and
                  the various watercourses. There are four large
                  continents with small islands scattered
                  throughout the oceans.

Climate Controlled: No

Native Sentient Life: None

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COLONY INFORMATION

Colony Age (approximate): 218

Population (approximate): 700 000

Species Present: 28% Vulcan, 24% Bajoran, 23% Klingon, 17% Human,
                 8% other

Colony Status: UFP Protectorate

Government: A ruling council of 14 at the planetary level;
            each town has its own town council for local
            government. (Quasi-officially known as the High
            Council and Town Quorum respectively.) Elections
            are held every 6 years.

Major Cities/Settlements: Shalaar City (the capital),
                          Kathos Ford, Dalta, Pelthos, New
                          Buffalo Jump, Chang Hai, Quatre
                          Riviere (all other cities have
                          a population of less than 10 000)

History: First surveyed in 2181 by the Vulcan Science Vessel
         Torval. Finding meteorological conditions similar to
         some of the coastal regions of Vulcan an agricultural
         research colony was set-up three years later. Very
         little vulcaniforming was required to adapt plants to
         the native soil.

         There was some small scale immigration over the next
         hundred years (back to nature groups, small religious
         groups, and various scientific teams), but very little
         population growth due to the proximity to the Klingon
         empire. It is perhaps surprising that the colony was
         never attacked.

         In 2305, a three ship fleet of Bajorans fleeing the
         beginnings of the Cardassian occupation of their world
         set up first a refugee camp then a city with full
         permission from the Vulcan scientists. In 2320, the
         Klingon Empire petitioned the Vulcans and Bajorans for
         a chance to set up an agricultural test colony of their
         own. By then, the colony had already petitioned to
         become a protectorate of the Federation and a sizeable
         contingent of humans and other Federation citizens had
         moved in.

         Since then, the colony has done a thriving business
         in foodstuffs, although with the advent of replicators,
         the industry has shifted to providing terraformers
         with starter material. Some major corporations have
         opened branch plants in the major cities as well.

Economy: Latinum based. Agricultural research, agriculture,
         fishing, high tech manufacturing and asteroid mining
         form the core of the industrial base. Gargola 3
         itself is mineral poor.

Tech Level: Modern

Culture: Officially a mix of Vulcan, Bajoran, Klingon and
         human although the majority of inhabitants follow
         their own cultural heritages.

         Official business is conducted in all four official
         languages.

         The code of law is Vulcan in origin, but has been
         rewritten extensively to accomodate the later
         colonists. Major differences include a code duello,
         from which the casual visitor is excluded.

Notes: The system has a lot of tachyon eddies (similar to
       those found in the Denorius belt near Bajor).

       The name Gargola 3 was chosen during a planetwide
       referendum as the compromise which offended the smallest
       number of people.
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