ANWR

ANWR is a Sim located on the ANWR Channel, the busiest of all Transcontinental Channels and the only one linking Heterocera and Sansara. The area is entirely flat and submerged. The main point of attention is an oil rig which stands above the water.

## History

The construction of ANWR was done in 2006, when construction of the Northern continent of Heterocera was started. At that time, Sansara was the only continent. The name comes from *Arctic National Wildlife Reserve*. Indeed, the ANWR Channel is in North from Sansara, but by no means it is ice-covered or has anything that would link it to the Arctic. No wildlife exists there.

According to the legend, it was Magellan Linden who sailed North through the ANWR and landed on the shores of Heterocera, discovering a new continent. His Geological prospects identified that the soil is rich in *primoleum* (some sort of petroleum but made of prims), which would allow the newly discovered lands a double prim allowance. The oil rig was built and it is supposedly extracting prims, which it carries North through a pipeline that reaches Cecropia on Southern coast of Heterocera.

Later, as the Second Life Railroad was being built on the new continent, an interactive railway map was added inside the oil rig.

## Structure

The oil rig is built on four large pillars. It is a metal building.

The main deck is square shaped and hosts the main oil rig in its middle and two big cranes. It also hosts a relay tower, with an antenna pointing to West (which is strange, as there is nothing but Void Ocean in that direction). A fire burns on a side. Four cargo containers rest on the deck. Don't look for contents, the containers are empty.

By looking at the main oil rig, one can see that it is extracting prims, regular cube prims, 0.5 m wide, with wood textures. The rig extracts roughly one cube every second.

There are two rooms accessible from the main deck. One is located where the prims go inside. There, one can push a lever and replace the crystal filter. If you do so, you will see that prims become crystals instead of regular cubes. There is plenty of equipment, but it is all just decorative. The second room is more like an office, with one Geological map showing places of excavations (it is not something that exists in Second Life at all). There is also a very old map of Second Life Railroad as it was first built, divided into two unconnected sections. The map was functional, at least for its South-West section, in 2014. It appears that in 2023 it is no longer functional, showing no position of any trains.

A second platform can be seen, elevated, in East. It hosts a helicopter landing pad, which is frequently being used both by the Yava Script Pods and the SLGI Trains on their routes. Sailors can find free boats available there, which can be obtained by clicking on two billboards. A few round oil containers can be seen too. Recently (2022) a Bellisseria Passport Stamp was added.

Below the main deck, there are many pipes, some of them losing steam or smoke. There is also equipment. There are signs of hydrant boosters on the walls. On one device, it says *Prmi Rig Gauge Box*. In one corner, there are stairs made of metal grate that can take you to a small loading platform, close to sea level. That is where the Ferries, mainly the GSLR Tug serving Great Second Life Railway, docks.

## Different Generations

The ANWR Oil Rig is a proof of the difference in mentality between generations. In 2006, an oil rig would be seen as beneficial, bringing in more resources. Pollution, climate change and environmental damage were not so important at that time. Almost 20 years later, in 2023, people have a different mentality, with renewable energy sources and environment protection being more popular. The fact that the ANWR Oil Rig has survived this time shows us how our mentalities are changing over time.

## Clones

There is an identical oil rig in *Bleu*, Blue Bay, Sharp Continent. Both have been built around the same time. This is an example of Cloned Geography.

## See Also

* Second Life Geography
* Transcontinental Channels
* Parks And Recreation Areas