Mars

Introduction
Mars is the fourth planet in the Sol-system and governed by the Confederated Martian Colonies, largest Human colony world, first member colony of United Earth and site to an important Interstellar Coalition shipyard, Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards, the largest shipyards in United Earth space and fifth largest in the galaxy.

Planetary Geography and Climate
As a terrestrial planet that consists of minerals containing silicon and oxygen, metals, and other elements that typically make up rock. Much of the surface is deeply covered by finely grained iron-oxide dust, giving the planet it's trademark red surface. Martian soil to be slightly alkaline and containing elements such as magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine.

Mars suffers the largest dust storms in Sol-system. These could vary from a storm over a small area, to gigantic storms that cover the entire planet. They tended to occur when Mars is closest to Sol, and have been shown to increase the global temperature.

Terraforming Project
Since first the idea of terraforming entering the Human knowledge-base, Mars has been an target of humanity's drive to bring life to the barren world. Begun in 2102 C.E., Project Seth is established on three major interlaced changes:

While several worlds colonized by Humanity have been colonized with extensive technological assistance, the Confederated Martian Colonies has voted for a long-term terraforming program. This is due in part that all existing terraforming operations required continued technological maintenance and the Confederated Martian Colonies wishes to establish their new world as being as independent as possible.
 * Operation Maahes: set to building up the atmosphere, keeping it warm, and keeping the atmosphere from being lost to space. O2 Terraforming Plants ring the Amazon Planitia and generate over 80% of the planet's semi-breathable atmosphere.
 * Operation Aten: set to release CO2 to keep thermal energy near the surface. Moreover, as the planet heats, more CO2 should enter the atmosphere from the frozen reserves on the poles, enhancing the greenhouse effect. Thermal Stations around the equator help to maintain the 20°C climate.
 * Operation Horus: will artificially create a magnetosphere via orbital magetic arrays that would assist in retaining the atmosphere. The Horus Array is currently under active construction but already diverting 8% of Mars average radiation.

Currently Operation Maahes is processing towards completion in 2210 and Operation Aten set to finish in 2250. Operation Horus will be finished in 2181, however was placed on hiatus due to the Xindi Conflict.

Due to Maahes, liquid water exist on the surface of Mars for the first time in billions of years. The volume of water ice melting in the south polar ice cap, will be sufficient to cover the entire planetary surface to a depth of 11-meters.

History
The first Humans to walk on Mars were an international team of astronauts sometime after 2049.

Mars was one of the first planets colonized by Human race who began their efforts in 2103 and became the first fully established colony of United Earth to be given independence. To oversee the development process of Mars surface, Earth awarded a license to a business body known as the Mars Consortium that handled the terraforming and development of the planet in conjunction with the civilian Confederated Martian Colonies.

In the purges that followed the Eugenics Wars, many of the offspring of Khan Noonien Singh's augmented followers were secretly resettled to areas like Mars, Alaska, Luna, and the Sahara Reclamation Zone, where life was hard enough to ensure few people asked probing questions. Eventually these Augments inter-married and breed with most of the native Human colonists and though not known to the public, the result was the fact that Martain-born Humans tend to be significantly stronger, breath thinner air and able to process higher levels of radiation. Due to the fact that most don't migrate back to the homeworld, this quirk of genetics is wildly unknown to the people of Earth who suffered immensely during the Eugenics Wars.

Among those that migrated to Mars included the south-western Native American tribes who refused to surrender their sovereignty to the United Earth government. These groups formed their own tribal nations on Mars such as the Hopi-Pueblo who settled on the planet by 2109. Numerous cities and colonies in Elysium Planitia are named after numerous famous Native Americans, such as Touch the Clouds Dome, Herrington City, Thorpe Bay and Fragua Town.

Within just a few years, however, a general uprising known as the War of Martian Independence occurred in support of Martian sovereignty. The incident was brought about the destruction of Gundersdotter's Dome. It was the location where Rayla Gundersdotter was assassinated by Mars Consortium agents who blew out the domes membrane supports, thus killing her. The incident led to the death of fifty-three people outside the dome instantly with twelve more dying inside when the militiamen destroyed the airlock. This event in turn led to the signing of the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies and in fifty days time Earth revoked the development licenses of the Consortium which allowed the colony to win its freedom and independence.

This movement culminated with the drafting of the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies, which became one of the most important documents addressing individual rights in Interstellar Coalition history and in the independence of the Martian colonies and establishment of the Confederated Martian Colonies with the Assembly of the Martian Colonies being its ruling body.

Despite this being the case, the Martian Colonies became little more than a political satellite of the United Earth government and was considered less important compared to Pandora and Earth which had much larger populations on their surface. The planet however has begun to exert considerable economic and political pull on its homeworld of Earth in recent years however, as the environmental and over-population crisis increase. For the first time in history, Mars passed immigration quotas, limiting new arrivals from Earth to only 200,000 a year, slashing the average incoming colonist levels by 1/5, and only allowing skilled workers to migrate.

In 2155, Mars was the site of the Verteron Array, a powerful device designed to keep asteroids and other planetoids away from Earth and other important locales in the Sol-system.

Armed Forces

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Galactic Location
Earth is the inner most world of United Earth and located 16.1-light years from Vulcan and 41-light years from Denobula.

Provinces and Cities

 * Ares City: Ares City, named for the Greek counterpart to Mars, the god of war, is the capital city of the Confederated Martian Colonies.
 * Bradbury City
 * Endurance: A city on planet Mars and was the location of McKay University.
 * Fort Kiley: Fort Kiley was a Starfleet installment on planet Mars, not far from the Valles Marineris. Fort Kiley served as base camp during a Starfleet survival course.
 * Fort Lincoln: Fort Lincoln was a settlement on the planet Mars and was located in the Sol system. The position of Fort Lincoln allowed it to oversee Gundersdotter's Dome and thus witnessed the act of sabotage by the Consortium's militiamen that killed several dozen Humans as well as they saw the assassination of Rayla Gundersdotter.
 * Gundersdotter's Dome: Gundersdotter's Dome was the name of a settlement on the planet Mars in the Sol system. During Humanity earliest colonization attempts, the people of Earth managed to create a number of pressurised domes on Mars. Gundersdotter's Dome was one such city and was part of the Martian Revolution where Rayla Gundersdotter was assassinated by Consortium agents who blew out the domes membrane supports thus killing her. The incident led to the death of fifty-three people outside the dome instantly with twelve more dying inside when the militiamen destroyed the airlock. This event in turn led to the signing of the Fundamental Declarations of the Martian Colonies and in fifty days time Earth revoked the development licenses of the Consortium which allowed the colony to win its freedom and independence.
 * Martian Colony 3: In 2015, the element algobarium was discovered there by Human scientists.
 * New Chicago
 * New Venice: New Venice was a Human colony on the planet Mars, in the Sol system. The colony was named for Venice, in Italy, on Earth, presumably by settlers that originated from that region. Gabrielle Carlotti moved to the New Venice colony after her family were killed in a Chakuun attack on original home in the New Milan colony.
 * Utopia Planitia: Utopia Planitia was a region on the planet Mars, and the site of the city of Utopia Planitia. It was also the location of the surface facilities of Starfleet's Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. The Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards was an important Coalition starship construction and design facility based at the Utopia Planitia area on Mars in the Sol-system. The shipyard spans from land-based portions all the way to geosynchronous orbit above the planet.
 * Valles Marineris: Valles Marineris is a vast canyon that runs along the equatorial region of Mars. It is also the name of a city established in the 22nd century, built into the walls of the canyon and running its entire length, making it the largest city (by area) in the Sol-system.
 * Wells City
 * New Clinton
 * Phillipstown
 * Gideon Prime: An upscale beachfront city.
 * Nova Ares: The first permanent colony on the planet Mars and was situated on the plains of Utopia Planitia. Initial settlement by Humanity dated back to 2103 and was established by the United Earth Space Probe Agency who intended to use it as a support platform for further exploration of deep space as well as the rest of the Sol system. The first settlers were support personnel from UESPA who oversaw the launch and refuel operations for the various ships that were considered too dangerous to perform near Earth. By the 24th century, it had a thriving population of 100,000 residents and was home to the Mars Elective Assembly. A 100 story skyscraper served as the corporate headquarters for the Martian based company Dennis and Young Amalgamated and was the tallest structure in Nova Ares.
 * Burroghs City
 * Popé Pueblo: Also called Canyontown was a settlement on Mars established by the Martian Hopi-Pueblo nation.

Points of Interest

 * Bradbury Spaceport
 * Endurance University
 * McKay University
 * Thermal Station Alpha
 * Thermal Station Beta
 * University of Mars