Two very different regions presented here. One holiday resort and one big metropolitan area.
Table of contents:Introducing Islas GemasVallo Corte"Fixing" Vallo CorteFirst visit to Puerto RicoSoccer teams of Islas GemasThe rest of Puerto RicoRandom development, and a small tutorialJuanítaCelebrating 100 commentsThe island of TopazÓpaloThoughts on Ports, part IVThoughts on Ports, part IVbCelebrating 200 commentsThoughts on Ports, part VaThoughts on Ports, part VbDeveloping SantiagoDeveloping Santiago, more lots, downtown and old townCelebrating 300 commentsFurther development of SantiagoSantiago Outskirts and a little teaserOverviews and Los TrepadoresThe rest of SantiagoSantiago by nightAeropuerto Internacional de ZafiroCelebrating 400 commentsTraffic generator for SMP sandstone modAround the airportStop. Hammer time.Paloma - upscale beachsites and hotelsThe rest of PalomaEl Snapper Belga - the Belgian SnapperPlaya del Paraíso - first visitHonouring thundercrack83Hounoring bat, kwakelaar and dedgrenHonouring Sebes, Yoman and Shadow AssassinHonouring HabLeUrG, patfirefighter, Cali and Air6Hounoring badsim, RayDen and Rooker1Honouring kimcar, NikNik and HeinzPlaya del Paraíso - second visitCelebrating 600 commentsRío ParaísoLos Olivos and the southeastern coast of ZafiroBahía Roja - downtown areaBahía Roja - second visitThe rest of Bahía Roja - and the Rubí AirportCelebrating 700 commentsSan David d'EsmeraldaPaís Palo - the town of Lobo and some villagesFinishing País PaloWelcome to BlackwaterBlackwater: Rail system and Blackwater Central Station with surrounding lotsCelebrating #800 comments, #10.000 views, and 1 year since first postBlackwater: Experimenting with flora and transparent plop waterBlackwater: The other side of the tracksBlackwater: sidewalks and moreBlackwater: some trains as propsBlackwater: World Trade CenterBlackwater: lots near the train stationBlackwater: Downtown shoppingCelebrating #900 commentsBlackwater: Cultural centreBlackwater: downtown backstreetsBlackwater: Daught Island - first visitBlackwater: Daught island - second visitBlackwater: Time for a break (RHW designs)The Islas Gemas dictionary:Adeje: A small village high up in the mountains of south Zafiro.
Ancla del Aero: A small town and anchor place on Ópalo.
Ágata: A small island located to the northeast of the region. The name means Agate.
Akira: A medium size town on the north coast of Ópalo. Also a religious center and shrine for the Buddhist population.
Ambarino: A small island located to the southwest of Rubí. The name means Amber.
Arrakesch: The main town of Topaz, located in a protecting valley in the middle of the island.
Artenara: A small village in the País Palo.
Autokim Parque de Atraccsiones: An amusement park in Playa del Paraíso.
Azul del Paraíso: A stream on Ópalo.
Bahía Roja: The main city of Rubí and the second largest city on the Islas Gemas. The name means “red bay”.
Bombero: A very strong liceur distilled from Eucalyptus. It is produced in the San David monastery in Juaníta. The name means “firefighter”.
Buenavista: A small tourist town on the south coast of Zafíro. Consists mostly of time shares.
Cantina Assassina: A pub and hostel in Puerto Jumanji.
Cascada del Oeste: A stream on Ópalo.
Cascada del Sur: A stream on Ópalo.
Cappo: A small town on the northernmost peninsula of Zafíro.
Cedric El Malo: Cedric “the bad” was governor of Islas Gemas 1732-1758. He straightend out the administration and increased central government control. He contributed a lto to investments in education and culture, but was not very liked among the farming community.
Corriente California: A stream/river irrigating the rice fields on Ópalo.
Club Nick Nick: An upscale nightclub in Puerto Rico.
Duarte: A small village located on the southeastern part of Zafiro.
El Perro y el Remiendo: The dog and the Dutchman, is the nickname for the high altitude area between the mountains Perro and Remiendo on Rubí. It is popular for advanced climbing and scenic nature.
El Snapper Belga: A work of public art placed in downtown Paloma. The name refers to a sunken ship located just off the coast near Paloma.
Esmeralda: The third largest island of the Islas Gemas. The name means Emerald.
Esmeralda Unida: Football (soccer) team from the island Esmeralda. Currently playing in the second division.
FC Rubí: Football (soccer) team from the island Rubí. Currently playing the second division.
Garachico: A small village in the País Palo.
Granate: A small island located just east of Rubí. The name means Garnet.
Habelurgian Strait: The main sea faring route through the Islas Gemas. It goes in between Topaz and Zafiro on one hand and the rest of the islands on the other. It was named after Habelurgius Mexicanus.
Habelurgius Mexicanus: An explorer serving the Roman Empire in the 1st Century AD. He was the first European to reach the Islas Gemas by sea but he never landed on any of the islands.
Hielo Claro: A stream on Ópalo.
Independiente de Santiago: The biggest football (soccer) club of the Islas Gemas, currently playing in the highest national league where they have been finishing at places 5-8 for the last few years. The team captain, and highest valued player, is Sebastian Romero, (born in “Argentina” but now a “Spanish” citizen).
Islas Gemas: A group of 12 islands located somewhere in my Simuniverse’ equivalent to the Atlantic Ocean. Together they form the southernmost province of my “Spain”. The name means “Jewel Islands” or “Gem Islands”. The climate is subtropical, with a great variety in wind and weather conditions between the different islands.
Jardin Libertad: Park and recreations area in Santiago.
Juaníta: Smaller town and resort located on the West coast of Zafiro. It is closely intertwined with its’ larger neighbour Puerto Rico.
Lago Rokera: A lake in Santiago de Zafiro. The name refers to the local myth of the Rokera.
Lago Sebes: A small lake on Topaz.
Lago Silvio: A lake in Santiago de Zafiro. The name refers to portugese tradesman Silvio Raio who established a trading company in Santiago in the 19th Century and made major investments into the cities development.
Las Galetas: A small tourist town located close to Playa del Paraíso.
Leandra: A small settlement on Topaz.
Lobo: A medium sized town in the País Palo on the north coast of Zafíro.
Los Jardines: Residential area in Santiago.
Los Olivos: A tourist oriented town on the southeastern coast of Zafíro.
Los Trepadores: Another name for the suburbs of Santiago, climbing the steep hillsides of the valley.
Mata Ashita: A village on Ópalo.
Malaquita: A small island located to the southeast of the region. The name means Malachite.
Modernista: A high wealth residential area in Santiago.
Musharraf al-nuk: Slightly insane Ottomanian slavetrader that settled in the city of Bahía Roja in the 18th Century. He wanted to build a rocket ship and launch it into space, but never got to see his dream fulfilled. The building that was meant as the foundation for the space craft is one of the most popular tourist landmarks on Rubí today.
Nuestra Dama: A large cathedral in Santiago.
Nuestro Sino: The home arena for the Independiente, located in Santiago.
Obsidiano: A small island located to the southeast of the region. The name means Obsidian.
Ópalo: A medium size island with a very green and lush environment. The name means Opal. A large part of the inhabitants of Ópalo are of East Asian decent which can be clearly seen in the style of architecture, and also in the practice of Buddhism as the dominant religion on the island. The Asian population migrated to Ópalo in the middle of the 19th Century, mainly from “Japan” that still was an extremely closed society at the time.
Padparadscha: One of the smaller islands, located to the northeast of the region. The name means Padparadscha – a rare form of pink Sapphire.
País Palo: The name of the northern peninsula of Zafiro actually means “bat country” because of the shape of the coastline. It has a lush environment as compaired to the rest of the island, and is not as developed for tourism as the south of Zafiro.
Paloma: A medium sized resort town located on the south coast of Zafiro. It is closely intertwined with its’ bigger neighbour Playa del Paraíso. It is one of the more expensive and upscale resorts on the Islas Gemas.
Parque de la Cruz: Park and recreations area in Santiago.
Parque Independencia: Park in Santiago.
Parque Monsignor Sanabria: Park in Santiago. Named after the first bishop of the Islas Gemas.
Parque Resurrección: Park and recreations area in Santiago.
Perro: A mountain peak on Rubí reaching 995 meters above sea level.
Píco: A small fishing village in the País Palo.
Piedra Sangre: The smallest of the Islas Gemas, located east of Rubí. The name means Blood Stone.
Pinje: A small village on Topaz.
Playa del Paraíso: The biggest resort town of the Islas Gemas. Named after the large beach where it’s located on the south coast of Zafiro. It is the main center for tourism on the islands.
Puerto Azul: The main town of Ópalo. Located on the southwest coast of the island.
Puerto Jumanji: The main port of Topaz. The name refers to Turkish trader Özkan Yoman who established an anchor place here in 1672.
Puerto Rico: A medium size town and resort located on the west coast of Zafiro. It was one of the first charter resorts built on the Islas Gemas in the 1960s, but the town center is much older.
RAP: The official code for the Rubí International Airport.
Remiendo: The highest mountain peak of Rubí reaching 1053 meters above sea level.
Río Cedric El Malo: A river running through Santiago de Zafiro. It was an important feature as Santiago grew from a small town into a real city.
Río Paraíso: The river going down from the mountain Trueno that passes between the towns of Paloma and Playa del Paraíso.
Rokera: A mythical creature known to abduct and eat small children. The myth is the Islas GEmas equivalent of the Chupacabra.
Rubí: The second largest island of the Islas Gemas. The name means Ruby.
Saba: A village on Topaz.
San David: A 17th Century local saint who established the monestary in Juaníta.
San David d’Esmeralda: The main town of Esmeralda and the third biggest urban area of Islas Gemas. The town is named after the local saint San David.
San David monastery: The monastery in Juaníta was founded by the saint San David in the 17th Century. They are famous for producing a very strong Eucalyptus liceur called Bombero.
San Juan: A small town located close to the international airport on the east coast of Zafiro.
San Pedro: A small village in the País Palo.
Santa Cruz: A small town in the País Palo.
Santiago de Zafiro: The provincial capital of the Islas Gemas, aswell as the main city of Zafiro. The city is home to almost 150.000 citizens, the provincial government and the only modern industrial port on the islands. It is also the financial hub of the province.
The Red Snapper: The wreck of this 19th Century Belgian Corvette is located off the coast near Paloma. It is now a popular site for Scuba diving.
Tejada Lighthouse: The old lighthouse in Juaníta.
Toledo: A village located on the southeastern part of Zafiro.
Toledo Parque de Industria: Industrial park located close to the town of Toledo.
Topaz: One of the smaller islands of the Islas Gemas, located far away from the rest of the islands, in the southwest of the region. The name means Topaz. The climate of Topaz is much dryer and sandier than for the rest of the islands. There is a strong North African influence on both culture and architecture on Topaz.
Torre del Zafiro: the tallest building on the Islas Gemas. Located in the financial center of Santiago, it reaches 211 meters into the sky.
Trevejos: A farm village uphill from Playa del Paraíso. Famous for a local brand of tequila.
Trueno: The highest mountain of Islas Gemas is a massive volcano reaching 2273 meters above sea level. The last eruption was in 1902. British explorer Edmund Berry was the first to climb the mountain in 1534.
Unjuta: A small settlement on Topaz.
Vallo Corte: A geopgraphic area on the east coast of Zafiro that consists of two shallow valleys. The name means Short Valley. The area is one of the few places on Islas Gemas with rich soil, and is dominated by farms and smaller villages.
Vilaflor: A small farm village uphill from Playa del Paraíso.
Zafiro: The largest island of the Islas Gemas. The name means Sapphire.
ZIN: The official code for the International Airport of Zaphiro.
