• View
• Edit
• History
• Backlinks

Baku

Areas Page Editors: please follow the Guidelines, whether you are editing an in-game area or World Territory.

Baku (/bəˈkuː/ bə-KOO, /ˈbɑːkuː/ BAH-koo; Azerbaijani: Bakı, IPA: [bɑˈcɯ]) was the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located 28 metres (92 ft) below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, alongside the Bay of Baku. The city is renowned for its harsh winds, which is reflected in its nickname, the "City of Winds".

1.  Description

Baku is situated on the western coast of Caspian Sea. In the vicinity of the city there are a number of mud volcanoes (Keyraki, Bogkh-bogkha, Lokbatan and others) and salt lakes (Boyukshor, Khodasan and so on). Baku has a temperate semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) with hot and humid summers, cool and occasionally wet winters, and strong winds all year long. However, unlike many other cities with such climate features, Baku does not see extremely hot summers. This is largely because of its northerly latitude and the fact that it is located on a peninsula on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Baku and the Absheron Peninsula on which it is situated, is the most arid part of Azerbaijan (precipitation here is around or less than 200 mm (8 in) a year). The majority of the light annual precipitation occurs in seasons other than summer, but none of these seasons are particularly wet. During Soviet times, Baku with its long hours of sunshine and dry healthy climate, was a vacation destination where citizens could enjoy beaches or relax in now-dilapidated spa complexes overlooking the Caspian Sea. The city's past as a Soviet industrial center has left it as one of the most polluted cities in the world.

At the same time Baku is noted as a very windy city throughout the year, hence the city's nickname the "City of Winds", and gale-force winds, the cold northern wind khazri and the warm southern wind gilavar are typical here in all seasons. Indeed, the city is renowned for its fierce winter snow storms and harsh winds. The speed of the khazri sometimes reaches 144 kph (89 mph), which can cause damage to crops, trees and roof tiles. In post-apocalyptic times, the khazri has been partially responsible for the destruction of several human buildings.

The daily mean temperature in July and August averages 26.4 °C (79.5 °F), and there is very little rainfall during that season. During summer the khazri sweeps through, bringing desired coolness. Winter is cool and occasionally wet, with the daily mean temperature in January and February averaging 4.3 °C (39.7 °F). During winter the khazri sweeps through, driven by polar air masses; temperatures on the coast frequently drop below freezing and make it feel bitterly cold. Winter snow storms are occasional; snow usually melts within a few days after each snowfall.

2.  Culture

Baku has an unfortunate reputation to beasts of High Speech as "The City of Lost Souls" or "The City of the Dead". The name comes from the belief that the winds now carry the cries of mothers over stillborn litters, and of those sick and dying from the sheer amount of pollution in the area. Its residents suffer from some of the highest number of miscarriages, birth defects, and environment-related illnesses known to the Luperci community. Long-lasting combinations of toxic chemicals and poisonous debris makes most of the city uninhabitable decades on; strong winds have knocked down or destroyed a number of buildings, and others teeter on the brink of collapse. Non-Luperci - mostly exiles from Luperci territories or those wandering in - gather and shelter in isolated parks and green spaces, scraping a meager together existence off small prey and the odd, skinny deer. The few Luperci that do gather here are those passing through or are also exiles, with criminals among their number trying to hide in the ruins. A tenuous truce exists among most of the longer-staying residents, with Luperci claiming whatever buildings can be lived in and non-Luperci sticking to open or rubble-strewn spaces.

Baku is not a place for the faint-hearted. In addition to navigating dangerous ruins, some of the more permanent residents consider travelers fair game. Some packs take in and defend folk from strangers, while others attack and strip passers-by of their goods. Some Luperci even take them into slavery, keeping them or trading them for supplies and other goods. The non-Luperci keep a distance from the werewolves, seeing the Luperci virus as yet another disease to add to the ailments the land curses the living with. Some tolerate the presence of respectful Luperci, so long as they eat, drink and sleep separate from the local packs so the virus isn't spread. Others may drive them out, with rumors of a pack of formerly-unturned canines devouring Luperci and sick individuals to try and "cleanse" the city of its high disease rate.

Despite the dangers Baku hides, not all of the city is vicious and unfriendly. Clustered around the former Yasamal and White City districts is a series of parks that have since overgrown, their creeping vines and sprouting bushes forming a thin, connecting web of flora. In the center of this emerging greenery is Yaşıl Kənd, or "The Green Village" when translated from Azerbaijani. Patchwork Luperci huts and makeshift dens make up a small throp, and the residents there offer shelter and whatever food or aid they can provide to those in the city. Unlike in other parts of the city and in most of the old parks, the Green Villagers are a mixed group of werewolves and non-Luperci, living peacefully in coexistence and taking care of each other like family. They surround their small patch of land with traps, and the village is walled off by sharp, crude, pike-lined walls, a small gate pulled by ropes the only way to get in.

3.  Significance

:D

4.  References

• Wikipedia entry on Baku (text sourced from here)