Altis
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Altis is a British overseas territory in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, it lies to the south-west of Istanbul, Turkey and north-east of Athens, Greece. The territory consists of the main island of Altis, approximately 30.6km (19 miles) x 17.7km (11 miles) at it's widest points, together with a number of smaller islands and cays with no permanent population. The islands capital is Pyrgos. The total land area of the territory is 270.5km² (168 square miles) with a population of approximately 25,428 (2037 estimate)
Geography
Altis is a volcanic island with corrugated terrain and rocky areas especially in the west and north-western regions of the island while the east is mostly flat. Throughout the island there are large forests as well as a small a number of salt lakes and a desert near Abdera in the north of the island. The highest point on Altis is the peak of Thronos at and altitude of 350m above sea level. The main towns are Kavala on the western coast, Agios Dionysios in the centre, Athira north of the Altis International Airport, Pyrgos on the eastern shore of the bay in the middle of the island and Sofia in the north-east of the island.
The total length of the coastline of Altis is 200km featuring over 20 beaches, the beaches of Thelos and Chalkeia Bay are popular amongst surfers, providing the best waves in the central Mediterranean for the last few years of global climactic changes. The largest of the bays, the Pyrgos Gulf partially divides the two halves of the island of Altis. In the east of the island there are 3 periodically flooded salt lakes: Almyra, Limni and Ochrolimni, of which Almyra is the largest, during the summer when the water has dried up and the surface has hardened the area serves as an auxiliary airstrip for light aircraft.
Climate
The climate in Altis is mainly Mediterranean, featuring mild winters with occasional snowfall. Strong prevailing winds coming from the south and south-east are a feature of the island with wind speeds picking up from August and right through until the end of the winter period. The temperature on the island is typically about around the same as that in London until the summer period where Altis can be anywhere between 8-12 degrees higher on average.
Districts
Altis and the smaller island of Stratis formed the Republic of Altis and Stratis in 2011 after the previous formation of islands, including the Aegaen island of Lesbos was dissolved in earlier in the same year.
There are four districts that make up Altis following local government reform after the civil war in 2035.
- Athira - North Central
- Pyrgos - East
- Agios Dionysios - South Central
- Kavala - West
These areas and their district centres, shown above, form part of the Altis Assembly which is responsible for the governance of the island.
Transportation
Air
Altis is served by the Altis International Airport. The primary runway of this airport is 4,672 feet (1,424m) in length and can accommodate moderate sized aircraft. Services provided by SimpleJet and Altis Airways connect to various airports in Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom. The airport offers no direct flights into Asia or America. The airport is able to handle large narrow-body jets such as the Airbus A320 or the Boeing 737.
Road
There are three main roads that connect all of the district centres in Altis and many other settlements. The road links have allowed for flourishing private taxi service as well as a public bus service.
Sea
There are several harbours on the Island that are capable of dealing with large ships such as passenger ferries however due to cheap air travel, ferries are very rare to and from the island.