Amara
Amara is one of five continents on the planet Eldara, and is the planet's largest continent. Along with its associated islands, it comprises 9% of Eldara's surface and 28% of its total landmass. The landmass of the continent stretches 14,000 miles from north to south and 4,000 miles across at its widest point in the arctic latitudes. Because of its north-shouth configuration and the combination of mountain ranges and river basins across the continent, it has a widely variable climate depending on latitude.
Geography
The continent's topography is dominated by the Amaran Cordillera, a chain of mountains comprised of several ranges that runs the length of the west coast, from the northwestern tip of the continent all the way to its southern tip. The combined ranges total a staggering 9,500 miles of length and its tallest peaks reach 14,000-20,000 feet. The longest and most continuous range within the cordillera is the Coastwall Mountains, which fork from the 700 mile long Pale Mountains in the northwestern arctic. The Coastwall range then follows the west coast of the continent until it forks into the Red Solaris (eastern) and Red Stellaris (western) mountain ranges once it passes south of the tropics, between which lies the Carmine Plateau.
The eastern half of the continent contains several large river basins: the Amaran Rainforest Basin, the Green River basin, the Patina Basin, and the Lunaris-Great Lakes Basin. The shorter, far more weathered, and comparatively smaller Flame Mountain range runs along the east coast of the middle portion of the continent. This range is 1,400 miles in length with peaks reaching a maximum of 6,800 feet.
Between the two mountain ranges, Amara's interior is comprised of vast flat areas of plains and low-elevation river basins. The 13,000 miles of western coastline are bordered by the Sea of Whales, the planet's largest ocean. On the other side of the continent is the Sea of Storms, an ocean whose warm tropical waters and trade winds brew tropical storms that strike the 12,500 miles of the continent's east coast.
Climate
The climate of Amara is highly variable based on latitude and geographic features. The northernmost portions of the continent are in arctic latitudes and the southern tip of the continent is located beyond the sub-tropical regions. Amara is therefore divided into several climate zones.
Tundra & taiga
In the northernmost latitudes of Amara, the junction of the towering Pale Mountains and the colossal Coastwall Mountains creates a unique weather phenomenon known as the Glacial High. This phenomenon occurs when the mountains block the moisture-carrying clouds from the sea, resulting in a rain shadow effect across the northwestern latitudes. During the winter months, the frigid arctic winds intensify, accumulating cold and dry air in the northwest between mid-spring and early autumn. This massive collection of air reaches its peak strength and size in the winter, bringing about severe cold and dry conditions with little snow, characteristic of the tundra environment. Moving south from the tundra, the subarctic region presents a different landscape dominated by dense coniferous forests known as the taiga. These forests are primarily composed of spruce trees, with sporadic birch and pine species. The taiga experiences a vast temperature range between seasons, marked by long and harsh winters lasting for 5 to 7 months. During this time, temperatures consistently remain below freezing. In contrast, the summers in the taiga are short and relatively mild, lasting only 1 to 3 months.Interior Plains/Great Lakes Basin
As the continent reaches hemiboreal latitudes, a band of humid continental climate zone extends from the east coast across the Great Lakes Basin into the northern portion of the interior plains. This area has four distinct seasons, with warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Winds from the Glacial High are carried down from the tundra on the polar jet stream, creating lake-effect snow on the eastern and southern shores of the region's large lakes. The snowbelt extends from the Flame Mountains in the east to the Coastwall range in the west and is considered the dividing line between the majority of the interior plains and the northern forest climates. The central portion of the continent is dominated by shortgrass prairie, with hotter summers and violent outbreaks of thunderstorms, particularly in the spring and early summer months. A dryline forms to the west of the Green River basin, which separates warm, moist air from Serpent's Bay from the cold, dry air from the polar jetstream and the hot, dry air of the southwestern deserts. When these air masses collide, they produce severe winds, hail, lightning that can spark prairie fires, and tornadoes.Cloud Forests & West Coast
On the oceanic side of the Coastwall Mountains, the climate is temperate, cool, and very wet. This area sees the second most annual precipitation on the continent. Protected from the polar jet stream by the mountains, the northwest coast boasts one of Eldara's largest temperate rainforests, which are characterized by near constant low-level cloud cover, giving them their name. Mild weather persists down the west coast, which receives the majority of precipitation from winds blowing eastward from the ocean due to the rain shadow effect of the Coastwall Mountains. This enables the growth of massive flora, including redwood and sequoia species. The frequent precipitation and ocean winds create long, temperate summers and shorter, mild winters. The southern west coast areas see far less rainfall than the northern cloud forests, and dry conditions in the summers can lead to frequent outbreaks of forest fires.South-Central Desert
On the southern edge of the interior plains is the Sentinel Peak mountain range, an offshoot of the Coastwall range within the Amaran Cordillera. The Sentinel Peaks range is 400 miles long, tapering into foothills before it reaches the Green River, and serves to divide the central portion of the continent from the south. The intense rain shadow effect created by these two mountain ranges creates the Dunesea and the Scrublands, the two of which combined comprise the Sandbasin Desert. The northwestern portions of the desert are considered "high desert" due to the plateau of higher elevation formed between the Coastwall Mountains and the Sentinel Peaks offshoot. This plateau gradually descends to lower elevation in the southeastern portions of the desert as it begins to approach the coast. The high desert consists of scrubland, with more vegetation than at lower elevations and extreme cold at night and during winter months. The Scrublands of the high desert can also experience significant snowfall in the winter and borders the alpine biomes in the mountains. The Dunesea is the portion of the desert located at lower elevations. Hot, dry winds sweeping down from the mountains strip the air of moisture and make it difficult for plant life to grow in this region. The majority of the landscape is comprised of shifting sand dunes and temperatures are intensely hot in the daytime during summer months.Sub-tropical Coast
Bordering the northern tropics is the coastline created by Serpent's Bay, where the Green River drains into the ocean. The warm, moisture-heavy air blowing northwest from the ocean creates a humid subtropical climate with mild winters and humid, hot summers. Much of this region has its wettest season in the late winter and early spring, with the majority of precipitation falling from just after the winter solstice to just before the spring equinox. However, tropical weather disturbances in the warm ocean waters can sometimes blow severe weather systems to the interior of the continent well into summer. The east coast's southernmost peninsula, which creates the northeastern coastline of Serpent's Bay, borders the tropics and has a tropical climate, including dense rainforests and extremely frequent precipitation. This area is also frequently hit with tropical cyclones during the late summer and early autumn months.Tropics
The northern and southern halves of the continent are divided by the biome difference between the sub-tropical savanna and the tropical rainforest that dominates the equitorial area of Amara. This rainforest, known as the Tangled Jungle, comprises the majority of the River Rushing Basin, a low-lying region where hundreds of smaller tributaries drain into the River Rushing, a 2,300 mile long and mile-wide river that is the largest water system (by length) on the continent. The River Rushing is fed from several headstream areas and tributaries from within the Coastwall Mountain range. Monsoon cycles are experienced by the savanna to the north of the rainforest, but precipitation within the Tangled Jungle is at relatively even levels year round. This contributes to vast amounts of biodiversity and vegetation within the region.Southern Highlands & Patina Basin
In the southernmost area of the continent, beyond the Tangled Jungle and in the southern sub-tropics, the Coastwall Mountain range forks into two separate ranges, the Red Solaris and Red Stellaris mountain ranges. The Red Solaris is the eastern half of the range and the Red Stellaris is the western half. The Carmine Plateau is situated between the two forks of these ranges. The mountains and the plateau are both named for the reddish soil that is endemic to this area. The elevation of the plateau creates a highland humid temperate climate; although being located between two mountain ranges would typically create a rain shadow effect, the plateau meets the southeastern coastline of the continent and experiences year-round cool, wet oceanic breezes that sweep damp air up the plateau and dump it on the highlands. Due to the wind conditions of the plateau, trees are well-spaced and the majority of the vegetation consists of smaller plants such as shrubs and grasses. As the plateau begins to decline in elevation to meet the coast, the Patina River runs southward from the Red Solaris mountains and empties into the sea, creating the Patina River Basin with its tributaries where trees grow more thickly and create a temperate forest.
Type
Continent
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Inhabiting Species
Comments