-

La masse de la TERRE et d'ALTERRA sont trés proche. Le cycle des saisons Alterriennes est complexe et s'étale sur l'équivalent de plusieurs dizaines d'annés terrestre. The mass of the EARTH and ALTERRA are very close, but time measurement is hardly comparable; Alterrian seasons span over what could be dozens of earth years. A gauche: une petite mappemonde peinte à la main. On remarque que le continent unique est bien plus grand que dans les dernieres realisations, et qu'il comporte une mer interieure. Il est aussi situé plus bas sur l'equateur. ENLARGE

-

	Left: PRIMLAND, and by transparency, earth continent,  for comparison. La mappemonde d'origine est recouverte par un melange de vernis et de peinture bleue, ce qui explique la transparence de la mer. On peut ainsi comparer la taille du continent unique aux continents terrestre. A droite, PRIMLAND, peint au pinceau. ENLARGE
	The 3D model I did in 2005 is not exactly the same as the first one hand painted earlyer. Evolution.... Le model 3D actuel, septembre 2005. Le continent couvre un peu plus de 5 fuseaux horaires, étant entendu que comme sur terre, il y en a 24. ENLARGE

-

On single continent, named PANGEA. Enlarge the map left The black horizontal line is the equator. THETIS est un lac intérieur qui apparait épisodiquement suivant un cycle mal défini. THETIS is an internal lake wich appear occasionaly, following an  unkown cycle.

-

ENLARGE. Painting by renaud, some years ago.

PRIMLAND is the most favorable parts of the continent; good weather, rich and various landscape... This is the place where the first colonisators settled down.  A taste of paradise...? La partie ouest est la plus favorable: bon climat, paysages riches et variés. C'est dans cette partie que s'installent les premiers colons. Ils baptisent ce territoire "Premier Pays". ENLARGE

-

OLYMPUS is the mountain area in the center of the continent. Tops about 12000 meter hight, volcanic activity, dangerous and imprevsible weather. Life is generaly impossible, exept with the help of warm water sources. Left: from volcanic activity, toxics gases lying in valleys. Des nappes de gaz d'origine volcanique stagnent dans les valées en attendant d'etre dissipee par les vents violents courants dans ce secteur.

OLYMPUS: "The particularly clear morning air afforded a distant view, a rather rare thing in this part of mountains. Out there, at the limit of the horizon, you could distinguish the chain of big volcanoes that smoked quietly. Like a gang of old men, pipe in the corner of the mouth, seated on a bench of another dimension." Lanthanids, 14 Enlarge pict left

-

SYLVANIA; also named "Woods", or "les Bois"

Up: Olympus view from the Sylvania border

Eastward of Olympus is SYLVANIA, an area almost entirely covered by gigantic trees. This is the place that the immigrants of the second century reach after having cross Olympus. Full of mysteries and many unknown and dangerous animals, the trees become more and more little going east, where starts the STEPPS.

-

Un des aspects des Steppes....	STEPPS: Covering the east half of PANGEA, the STEEPS are a quite flat country with semi-desertic characteristics. The climat is subject to very rude variations, depending on the many years-long Alterrian seasons.
	STEPPS: Northward is the Sierra, prolongement of Olympus, and spinal column of Pangea. Along milleniums, water has dig deep canyons, and sometime appears a lake, THETIS, wich can reach a so wide surface in some years that it can then be call an internal sea, despite fill up with fresh water. Enlarge pict left
	At the far, far east, when ends Pangea, the sierra vanished in the sea. And then in front of you lay the wild ocean only....

-

THE OCEAN Pangea results of  tectonic plates jammed into others, then erecting Olympus and the whole continent; On the other side of the planet, the plates are push apart. Magma coming from planet mantle througth the crust generate earthquakes, themself generating tsunamis of such intensity that they sometime cross the whole ocean and hit the continent shores. Magma also heat water  with an influence on sea bottom currents, modifying the climat of Alterra. Sea activities are difficult everywhere on Alterra, and shipping extrememly dangerous ans hazardous on the ocean side.

Bienvenue dans les Limbes....

TERRA LIMBUS: Northward Pangea, at the other side of the sierra, lay this land of desolation, leak by a cold current coming from the pole. No vegetation; ice and rocks, blown by the blind wind of solitude.

-