nedal2001

GENERAL INFORMATION A forgotten land, once called a desolate waste by 16th and 17th century explorers on their way to the Americas, Desera (rumored to have come from the Twi words for calm and desert) has been the home to nomadic tribes for thousands of years. No documented history has ever been recorded from the island situated in the middle of the atlantic, although the oral history – told through generations by tribal storytellers – is as rich as any. Even in this day and age, Desera has been ignored by the world until now, thanks to the discovery of that black gold: oil. Historically, there has never been a recorded settlement on Desera until now (Kafra being the only), but current estimates have put its total population at around five million, split up into as many as three hundred different tribes. Of those three hundred, there are around twenty larger tribes who dominate the landscape. The largest is the Kasoa tribe, but the most powerful is the Mallam tribe, the tribe of the current leader of Desera, the Royal President Sidebe Mallam. Underneath him is the recently formed Desera Council, made up of tribal leaders from across the land and who act as advisors and planners for the Royal Presidency. The Desera Council sits above all other ministries, which report directly to it and take its orders directly from it. The capital city of the newly formed nation of Desera is called Kafra, and is situated on the southern shores of the island. Kafra has only been recently formed, thanks to the construction of the small seaport and Desera’s only power plant. Currently, Kafra’s residents are made up of workers of the seaport and powerplant, as well as all official Desera Council representatives. It is the first time in the known history of Desera that there has been a permanent settlement, although stories do speak of forts and such throughout the years. BRIEF HISTORY As stated above, very little is known about the history of Desera, and other than the stories of the tribal storytellers, there is no way of knowing anything about it. There have been no recorded documents either on or off the island, and until very recently, it was not even considered a country. The son of current Royal President Mallam, the Prince Diallo Mallam, on a fishing expedition off the southern coast of Desera a few years, ran into a sailing ship, which anchored off the islands and stayed as guests of the Mallam tribe for three nights. During that time, Prince Diallo learned much of the outside world, and persuaded his father to allow him to travel with the ship, with the promise of returning in two years. Prince Diallo Mallam returned in two years on a much larger ship, and with a team of oil explorers that had pinpointed vast reserves underneath the Deseran soils. During his time in Europe, the prince had found out about oil when he was casually explaining to the sailors of the black liquid that could be found all over the island. He was swiftly taken to a company called Brand Oil, who wasted no time in committing to a journey to Desera. One year after the return of Prince Diallo Mallam, Desera was officially formed into a nation after a meeting by all the tribal leaders, naming the leader of the Mallam tribe, Sidebe Mallam, as the Royal President. He had won the other tribes over with the promise of vast riches beyond their wildest imagination, something that he was sure he could give after the worth of oil was explained to him. With help from Brand Oil, a small settlement called Kafra was built on the southern coast, in what was known as Mallam nomadic territory, with a small seaport and powerplant to help support the settlement. The preliminary oil fields that were set up were minor in size, exporting only 5,000 barrels a day, and were found a few hundred miles north of Kafra. A single road was built to reach the small oil fields from the seaport, cutting through Kafra, which was located just to the north of the seaport. With the government in place and the official recognition of Desera as a country, we begin the story of this once desolate land as it grows its way into the world. The settlement of Kafra. The Kafra Powerplant to the north of the settlement. The powerplant runs on coal. Kafra and the Kafra Seaport - looking south. The Kafra Seaport - looking north. An aerial shot of Kafra.

Those are some great nature scenes! You have paid very close attention to small details, and the results are some very lively pictures

I have to admit, I didnt focus too much on the specifics of the tarmac, as Im not really an airport expert - I hope it still looks realistic enough!

Kafra International Airport (KIA) The Kafra International Airport was the first major project undertaken by the Deseran government after its formation. Overseen by the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the airport was completed towards the end of Year Two. It was built to the northeast of the settlement, and capital city, of Kafra – in order to get there, one had to take Mallam Road north up to the Mallam Roundabout, and from there head east on Airport Drive. Its location was chosen with future planning in mind, as the Desera Council did not want to urban expansion to encroach on the airport, while also giving it ample space for upgrading should it be required in the future. Planning for the KIA project began in Year One, and it cost the Deseran government approximately E200 million upon completion. After the declaration of the completed project, the MoT created its first branch, the Desera Aviation Authority (DAA), which assumed full responsibility of the airport in terms of management and future planning and development. The DAA was also given the go ahead to begin putting forward a plan for a national airline at the end of Year Two in celebration of the airport’s completion. The airport was designed to handle around 3 million passengers annually at maximum capacity – at the time of its completion, the largest town in Desera, the capital city of Kafra, had only 1,200 people, so it was obviously built for long term projections. Five on-ramp gates were constructed, and the runway measured 3,443 meters in length. At the end of Year Two, only charter and private planes served the airport. The Deseran Armed Forces were also given offices in the airport, as KIA was to be their main base for the Desera Air Force.

THERE IS A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX! The city center looks like its primed for some real estate boom

Priorities, my friend - good luck with the new semester!

[quote name='Evillions' timestamp='1346102842'] Cool airport! Just out of curiosity, why is there green grass in the middle of a desert? Is there something special with the climate and conditions? [/quote] Thats the part I forgot to explain Basically, the Ministry of Transportation, along with the Desera Council, wanted to present a lively introduction to visitors of Kafra. Equipped with automatic sprinklers, the Desara Aviation Authority is now entrusted with maintaining the grass and plants which were put in place during the construction of the aiport. Instead of being greeted by dust, rocks, and sand, visitors will be greeted by greenery and pleasant sights! That was the general idea of having grass all along the airport.

Kafra International Airport (KIA) The Kafra International Airport was the first major project undertaken by the Deseran government after its formation. Overseen by the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the airport was completed towards the end of Year Two. It was built to the northeast of the settlement, and capital city, of Kafra – in order to get there, one had to take Mallam Road north up to the Mallam Roundabout, and from there head east on Airport Drive. Its location was chosen with future planning in mind, as the Desera Council did not want to urban expansion to encroach on the airport, while also giving it ample space for upgrading should it be required in the future. Planning for the KIA project began in Year One, and it cost the Deseran government approximately E200 million upon completion. After the declaration of the completed project, the MoT created its first branch, the Desera Aviation Authority (DAA), which assumed full responsibility of the airport in terms of management and future planning and development. The DAA was also given the go ahead to begin putting forward a plan for a national airline at the end of Year Two in celebration of the airport’s completion. The airport was designed to handle around 3 million passengers annually at maximum capacity – at the time of its completion, the largest town in Desera, the capital city of Kafra, had only 1,200 people, so it was obviously built for long term projections. Five on-ramp gates were constructed, and the runway measured 3,443 meters in length. At the end of Year Two, only charter and private planes served the airport. The Deseran Armed Forces were also given offices in the airport, as KIA was to be their main base for the Desera Air Force.

You know, my favorite type of CJs are the type that bring the history of the city/land to life, with little tidbits and facts. That being said, this has got to be one of my favorite updates I have read in a long time on any site. Magnificent work!

Just a little teaser of what is to come!

Those are great looking highways! The stars of this update, however, are the interchanges - they are masterful!

I already commented over on the blog CJ section - but again, bravo! This update truly deserves the highest commendation possible!

Thanks, guys! This architecture will be an eclectic mix of Med, Middle Eastern, and American buildings - hopefully blending well together

That has to be one of the finest historical updates I have ever seen. The accuracy of the historical facts coupled with relevant and breath-taking pictures - bravo, my friend, bravo!

Gorgeous! I love the way you've done that riverfront park area - it really looks great! As for that street map, just wow - that project must have taken hundred of hours to complete. Its spectacular.

The region shot looks great! You've done some good work with the highway system, too Btw, what terrain mod is that?

Gorgeous work with PS - cant wait for the update

I love it when we have little tidbits of information along with pictures, and you did that brilliantly in this update

Wow - that is a gorgeous highway! It zigs right between some truly well built residential areas. Good job

A great tropical feel to this update - you can almost hear the merengue being played That beach looks like the perfect place to just waste away a day!

The African Riviera - I love it! I see you also are using those new palm tree MMPs - they are amazing

Thanks, guys! Yes, those are MMP FF slum houses

Year One It had been one full year since Desera’s official declaration of Independence on January 1st, and what an eventful year it had been. The 45 year old Royal President Sidebe Mallam culminated the country’s first year as an independent nation by throwing a grand celebration at the newly built Desera Council Building, otherwise known as Independence Hall, inviting all the tribal leaders from around the country to attend. It was a fitting end to an equally grand, if slightly chaotic, first year. The hardest part was getting the new paper currency, officially called the Emle (singular and plural), into the hands of the people. The Emli was pegged to the US Dollar, and $1 equaled E1. The Desera Council had an overwhelming tough time opening up tiny branches of communication throughout the land, and around those small, glorified tents, families began to settle. All over Desera, settlements of 10 or 20 people popped up, as the nomadic tribes began situating themselves close to where they could get money. They would sell whatever they came up with, whether it was fish, livestock, crop, or even handcrafted items in return for the new currency. The Desera Council had purposely set up the program in order to introduce the currency into the lives of its citizens. Those same communication branches collected taxes from the people, which quickly became a major source of revenue for the Desera Council. The largest of all settlements was the capital city of Kafra, which swelled in a single year to 770 residents. Along Mallam Road, the only paved road in the entire nation, a small trading market made up of a few buildings quickly developed just north of the Kafra Seaport. The export of Desera’s main asset, oil, was still very primitive, with small barges coming in daily to transport the oil back to Europe. The oil was being shipped by land from the oil fields to the north of Kafra down to the seaport, where the barges and their crews would be waiting. Kafra’s trade activity initially revolved around these foreigners, but by the end of the year, the local market also played an important part. Whether meat, fish, crops, or handcrafted items, people saw that they could sell their product to a much bigger customer base if they could sell it in Kafra, which led to the quick expansion of its center. By the year’s end, the daytime population of the capital city was thought to be around 10,000 people, although less than 10% of that actually lived in the town. At night, most of the visitors to Kafra would head back over to the rest of their tribe, but one thing was for certain – the lives of everyone in this new nation had changed forever. The Desera Council had come up with welfare program meant to enrich the lives of its citizens, using over 50% of the taxes it collected to give back in some way or form to the people. It was set up in a special way, as each tribe was given a certain amount depending on its size. The tribal leaders would send their allocated amount to their people every month, in hopes of enriching their lives. It was the Deseran way of spending government money locally. Whether it was food, or help setting up a permanent home, the Council was willing and, for the most part, able to provide the help needed. It still needed a lot more help in terms of supporting itself, however, as it was difficult to find employees who were bright enough or able to take on the responsibilities they were asking for. In terms of spending, while the welfare program ate up a huge part of it, there was a lot of it going into maintaining the Kafra power plant and the water and sewage facility in the area. An additional E10 million was put towards a military budget, as well, and by the end of the year, the Deseran Armed Forces featured 500 soldiers assigned with the task of protecting the country and its leaders. Many tribes volunteered young men from its ranks, proudly showcasing some of the finest boys they had and sending them off to serve their new nation. At the end of the year, the Council found itself with approximately E300 million in access funds, a figure which completely blew the tribal leaders away. The Royal President had promised them wealth, and they had received it. With so much access funds, the Desera Council put several projects up for debate in hopes of finding a suitable one that would benefit the country’s infrastructure the most. Some mentioned drawing up a city plan for Kafra with paved roads, others mentioned upgrading the Kafra Seaport, amongst other things. Almost all agreed with Royal President Mallam, however, when he stated that an airport would be the most beneficial thing for the country as a whole. It was agreed that a small airport to the northeast of Kafra would be developed, and initial targets placed the estimated cost at E200 million. They would have to find a foreign company to do the job for them, but it would be well worth it. That would wrap up an eventful Year One for Desera, one that started out with a bang, and ended with an even bigger one. The Royal family would take up residence in the Independence Hall temporarily, but there were talks of constructing a Presidential Residence in Kafra in the near future. Under the watchful eye of the Royal President and his council, Desera entered its second year as an independent nation full of hope! The Desera Council Building, otherwise known as the Independence Hall. Close-up of Kafra’s center. Kafra’s center, looking east. Kafra’s center, looking west. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking west. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking north. An aerial shot of Kafra, looking south.