Antarctica

Antarctica, nicknamed "The New World" only semi-ironically was a land of opportunity for many living in the crowded and polluted world pre-war. Where the vast majority of the world prior to The Great War was crowded, polluted, and filthy, the newly uncovered Antarctica acted as a shining beacon for many.

While much of the snow and the ice was melted by 2038, the continent was still cold for the vast majority of the year, which led to farming being a very difficult (but necessary) practice. As such, the only crops which really had much success in growing were potatoes, wild berries and aquatic plants - together, these three staples make up the vast majority of the diet of Antarctic settles, often supplemented with small amounts mutton and chicken - the only two farm animals which seem to cope well to the climate.

The first settlers began to arrive in Antarctica as early as 2025. While the antarctic treaty outlined that no country may lay claim to the continent, there was a loophole in that nothing was stopping individuals going there independent from their nation. Thus began a sort of pioneer culture. By then, the sea levels had already begun rising - exposing some areas of the Antarctic continent. The early colonists were hardy, but the local biosphere was decimated as they struggled to survive in such inhospitable conditions - these early colonists being directly responsible for the extinction of the Adélie penguin and the Macaroni penguin in the wild. In addition, the surrounding seas were highly polluted through various oil-spills and various waste from the colonists.

The next wave of colonization came in the years 2030 and 2031, tremendously increasing the population from a mere 14,000 to almost half a million people. With the second wave of colonists bringing animals with the that would swiftly become a regular sight on the tundra - sheep and chickens. This did not damage the biosphere as much as expected, as these creatures filled a niche in which nothing had yet filled - grazing on the tussock grasses that had spread all over the continent with the melting of the ice.

Much like early America, the first and second waves of colonists rapidly developed a new cultural identity. The vast majority of colonists were from Australia, South Africa or Southern America, and yet despite this, the vast majority shed their former label and became "Antarcticans". This proved especially difficult for La Union Nacional, when in 2041, mere months before The Great War, they wished to violate the Antarctic Treaty and expand into the freezing continent.

Hostility between the "Antarcticans" and La Union Nacional failed to escalate - as very shortly after La Union Nacional expanded into the region (dubbing the northmost region of the continent Colonia) - the Great War happened. While the colonists were granted a temporary reprive as La Union Nacional composed themselves, a mere year after The Great War occurred, La Union Nacional escalated hostility with more desperation than ever before. It seemed that the near-endless amount of soldiers that they were throwing at the Antarctica would mean that they'd keep steamrolling through the continent until it was all theirs - until in 2048 they reached a region, and suddenly all expansion forward ceased. While they still defend the territory that they claimed with near-suicidal aggression they are no longer expanding into the areas claimed by the colonists. It's unknown why they stopped, although behind closed doors there are rumors on both sides about a series of pyramids uncovered by the melting ice. Officially, La Union Nacional denies this vehemently.

The hostility from La Union Nacional was not the only hostility that the Antarctic colonists faced in the wake of The Great War. From all directions, the colonists faced refugees from the nuked mainland who had left their burnt homes and sailed to Antarctica with the hopes of a better life. However, while there was limited aggression between the refugees and the Antarcticans (Now calling themselves natives), the hostility was nothing in compared to the hostility with La Union Nacional - as most conflicts were successfully deescalated, with the many of the refugees being taken into pre-existing communities.

Several refugees, namely those from South Africa and Australia set up large colonies independent of the "natives", and once they were large enough simply allied themselves with the Western Federation. Due to this, rather ironically, the largest Western Federation presence (through alliances at least) is located in Antarctica.

Outside of a few limited exceptions that were brought to the "New World" by colonists, there are no trees on the entire continent. As such, the largest specimens of wild flora are actually bushes, and in some cases large lichens. The same can be same for animals, as the largest animals on the continent (Not including humans) are the sheep that the colonists brought with them.

The continent in general, outside of the regions claimed by the world powers, still operate with a very colonial mentality. Sealing and whaling (The few whales that remain, at least) are stable occupations for the various colonists, while explorers who chart and map the southern most portions of the continent are still highly regarded.

With the cost of transporting fossil fuels from the northern hemisphere to the South Pole being astronomical, almost all power is generated through wind power.

In the present day, the population of Antarctica is mostly unknown, as many of the smaller colonies have little, if any, contact with the outside world. However, it is estimated that at least two million people live on the continent.