Info

[Kieran]

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE

~ GEOGRAPHY ~

THE KINGDOM

We live in Namibia, Africa, focused on the savanna kingdom called Pride Lands.

The kingdom is 300 square miles (777 square km) wide, pretty much a square (approx. 18 x 18 ml or 29 x 29 km.)

A quarter mile all around Pride Rock is considered part of Pride Rock. Land belonging to the whole pride instead of just the king. Like a yard where the pride can expect to get to rest and play/do things in peace with little to no unauthorised traffic. Friends can come and go at will, and any member of the Royal Guard as needed, but other than these exceptions others should request access from a lion member of the Guard or from the king of the queen. Simba can of course always freely bring in a new friend/potential friend. As long as they're children too. Simba trying to come home with a stranger adult would be questioned.

Other species don't have that kind of legally enforced private land. Anyone can apply to get a cave or a tree as their legally protected home, and of course any burrows dug by burrowing animals are legally protected homes to the one who dug it and their family. But the point is; apart from that quarter mile radius around Pride Rock, open lands and waters are for public use and any caves and such on them which have not officially been made into homes. The Royal Guard enforces public order and peaceful existance so if anyone's living area is constantly and needlessly disturbed, something will be done about it.

PRIDE ROCK

Pride Rock is Mufasa's pride's home. It's a gigantic rock formation which faces/points to East. It has many caves and the largest is for the whole pride to gather and sleep in, it's the first one from bottom from the main entrance. The royal family members have their own smaller, private cave close to the highest and largest ledge where all the royal ceremonies are held. Other caves on the rock may have been claimed by other families.

It's located just about in the center of the territory. So the kingdom stretches approximately 9 ml (14 km) to every direction. It takes the average adult lion about three hours of constant walking to move between Pride Rock and a border.

SOUTH

THE WATERHOLE

The waterhole is located 2 ml (3 km) south-east from Pride Rock. It's a large lake that is commonly used by all animals. A river runs out of it to the south until it forks left and right, marking the Southern border. Hunting anyone at this lake whilst they're trying to have a drink is illegal. During the worst months of a dry seasons the royal family members have the right to drink first if they happen to arrive at the same time with another animal. But Mufasa and Sarabi would give their share away if the other animal(s) looked like they needed the water more. This is about 40 minutes walk one way, for a healthy adult lion.

ELEPHANT GRAVEYARD

The Elephant Graveyard used to be beyond the southern border which was marked by a rather steep rise. These days, after the hyenas were driven out, the graveyard has been claimed by Mufasa and is officially part of Pride Lands but still off limits to all cubs of Mufasa's pride.

In ancient times when Pride Lands was first established, the area was already an Elephant Graveyard. The king did not feel it right to claim a graveyard so the kingdom’s northern border was established just before it. A couple of hundred years ago a pack of hyenas was welcome to live in Pride Lands until it was noticed that this particular lot had tendency to steal food during the worst months of a dry season and hunt for sport during wet season. The then current king permanently exiled all hyenas, but as the Elephant Graveyard had not been claimed by him or any ruler before him, he could not stop them from settling there in order to stay near potential easy prey. It became known as the hyena’s land.

Rarely anyone lost their way and ended up there, and eventually even elephants stopped going there but chose to die somewhere else in peace than spend their last moments being torn apart by a starving hyena pack. Generation after another, hyenas died from starvation or just barely survived. A large number of hyenas never left, some hoped a future king would pardon them and give them a second chance whilst some enjoyed trying to steal food from the kingdom which essentially ruined the wishful thinkers' dream.

~ Beyond the Southern border is no-man's-land for many hundreds of miles. As it is nothing but the Namib Desert, the driest in the world. It goes for 165 miles (266 km) and then it meets the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari Desert is hundreds of square miles wide and has a semi-desert climet just like Pride Lands, so somewhere on it live a few other prides of lions. Some are Pride Lands' friends/allies, some are enemies.

There are occasionally some animals on the Namib Desert section too, alone or in very small groups, so it is possible for an adult savanna lion to survive a journey across it if they get lucky. It is rare to find mammals in this region of Namib as they cannot survive here long-term. Such crossing would not be easy anyway as the journey would take a few days and there is nowhere near enough water. Water on this part of the Namib Desert appears only as dew on very little vegitation and as occasional fog.

WEST

THE GORGE

On the Western side of this gorge is about a mile of green grassland until it fades into the Namib Desert, which line marks the Western border of Pride Lands. In the South end of this gorge there's a waterfall, a couple of miles from the kingdom's southern border which is marked by a river, the same river which flows from the Waterhole. In the Northern end of this gorge are thorn bushes and then the Namib Desert.

~ Beyond the Western border is no-man's-land for a hundreds of miles or kilometers. As it is nothing but the Namib Desert, the driest in the world. It ends at the coast of Atlantic Ocean. Th desert length spans over 800 miles to the North. There in the North West are some dry river valleys which are the only locations on this desert where mammals can exist long-term, and do so alone or in very small groups. Water flows in those valleys once or twice a year for a short period of time. Sometimes these animals do travel hundreds of miles to the ocean coast where seals and seabirds and such species live. Also hundreds of miles from these valleys somewhere in the western region lies a very large fresh water lake. They sometimes make desperate journeys to it. One small pride of desert lions live around this most significant water source and may go even weeks without any food as they wait. Elsewhere outside of the dry river valleys in general only specialist species survive, mostly underground.

* All of Namib Desert is no-man's-land, a lawless land. Life on it is a constant struggle so everyone has to focus on just taking care of oneself and one's family/group. So, Pride Lands has neighbours in North West but they are neither allies or enemies.
* Mammals which live in the dry river valleys of Namib Desert.

NORTH

THE ROYAL GRAVEYARD

Through-the-movies & Disney

Located approximately one mile North East from Pride Rock. It's under large group of large trees. A few tens of yards from this is another graveyard for all non-royal pride members, a Pride Graveyard which is by a small rock formation and a couple of smaller trees. These are open for anyone to visit and for prey animals to eat the grass and plants as long as they respect the graves. Each of which are marked by a large rock or a pile of smaller rocks, with some sort of identifying picture painted on them. Anyone, any species, can bring flowers or other decorative items to a grave or generally to this area. Though this is mostly done by the pride itself.

RAFIKI's TREE

A very large baobab tree located some 6 miles (10 km) north from Pride Rock. You have to cross a wide river on the way there, or go around it which would add some 6 miles (10 km) to your journey. The northern border 3 miles (5 km) in direct line from here is marked by a mountain range.

MOUNTAINS

This mountain range marks the northern border. The southern side is part of Pride Lands.

~ Beyond the Northern border are two other kingdoms. It's another savannah similar in climate to Pride Lands. Two lion prides live there. One of them is Pride Lands' ally, the other is not though not exactly an enemy either but more a neutral one. The other side of the mountain range is devided between them.

EAST

WOODLAND

Through-the-movies & Disney

The Waterhole's river runs to the east as well and marks the eastern border of the kingdom as it turns north. About half way up it runs into this woodland. So in the North East of the kingdom is a couple of miles of woodland and the river running through it marks the Eastern border within it.

~ Beyond the Easrern border is another another kingdom. After a few miles it too opens up to a savanna. A pride of lions live there and they are Pride Lands' allies.

~*~*~*~*~

~ CLIMATE ~

DRY SEASON - May through October

In May and June the grasses and foliage are still long and thick from the rainy season. During all these months the sky is clear and days are sunny. July and August are the transition period towards truly dry, and August is the month when most herbivores migrate for North African grazing grounds. In September and October there's extreme water and food shortage.
* There is no rainfall from May through August. And in September and October only 0,2-2 mm / 0,01-0,08 inches.
* Daytime temperatures: 27-37°C - but September and October can go as high as 41°C/105°F.
* Night time temperatutres: 9-18°C/49-64°F - but June through September they can go as low as -0.2-3°C/31-37°F.

WET SEASON - November through April

The land is the greenest and lushest and most alive from December through May.

November – A period of unpredictable, short rains. The rain is sometimes heavy, but mostly falls in the late afternoon or evening. Sees about 3 cm / 1 inch of rainfall. The nature significantly recovers in about two weeks. This is the month when the herbivore herds start returning.

December - Sees about 8 cm / 3 inches of rainfall.

January - Long rains, often heavy. Cloudiest month. Sees about 13 cm / 5 inches of rainfall.

February & March - December levels.

April - November levels.

* Daytime temperatures: 31-35°C - but can go as high as 41°C/105°F.
* Night time temperatutres: 18°C/65°F - but can go as low as 10-14°C/50-57°F.