Dinotopia

**Dinotopia** is a large island containing several diverse environments including great jungles in the west, sparse plains in the north, and dry canyons in the east. Sealed off from the rest of the world by storm-lashed reefs surrounding the island, Dinotopia hosts a wide array of dinosaurs whose ancient wisdom inspired the humans that are shipwrecked on the island over millennia.

## Geography

Dinotopia consists of a large main island, a smaller island called the Outer Island, and numerous smaller islets or reefs. Dinotopia's capital city is Sauropolis. The "main island" is approx. 240 miles (385 kilometers) in length, and approx. 260 miles (420 kilometers) in breadth. In the center of the "main island" is the Rainy Basin, which with the Great Desert, made up most of the island. These two regions are separated by the Forbidden Mountains, a huge range that intersects a smaller mountain range called the Backbone Mountains. A truly spectacular place is Waterfall City. It's built in the middle of the Polongo River, a large river which holds all the water from the Rainy Basin.

### The World Beneath

*Main Article: World Beneath*
A vast collection of caverns lie beneath Dinotopia. The dinosaur citizens of Dinotopia used these to survive the world-wide extinction of the dinosaurs on the rest of the world. The World Beneath is also where Sunstones are mined. Arthur Denison goes into the World Beneath through the Portal, in Red Rapid Canyon, which is near Canyon City.

### Origins

Dinotopia originally broke away from Asia and was carried into isolation by continental drift millions of years ago during the Mesozoic era. The dinosaur population of the island survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction that ended the Mesozoic by seeking refuge in the World Beneath some 65 million years ago. During the Ice Ages, a land bridge formed that allowed a vast menagerie of large mammals and primitive humans to cross over and colonize the island, mainly the uplands and the Forbidden Mountains which were inhospitable to the dinosaurs. The first modern humans arrived on the island nearly 6000 years ago.

4000 years ago, during a period of time known as the Age of Heroes, four major civilizations had formed in Dinotopia; the two Empires of Poseidos and Chandara and the tribal confederations of Pelledrine and Armakia. The Age of Heroes would see the Empire of Poseidos attempt to exert dominance over Dinotopia, warring against Pelledrine and the Saurian Knights. In the final days of the Age of Heroes, the city of Poseidos collapsed under its own weight and sank into Sapphire Bay.

### Modern times

By the time Arthur Denison arrived in Dinotopia roughly 4000 years after the Age of Heroes, national identities such as "Pelledrine", "Armakian", and "Poseidian" had all but disappeared, replaced by the unifying identity of "Dinotopian". The only true cultural traditions and identity remaining other than "Dinotopian" is those of Chandara, which has remained intact as an Empire since the Age of Heroes.

## Fauna

*Main Article: List of Dinotopian fauna*
Dinotopia is home to a vast array of animals from numerous different geological periods of the Earth. Many, but not all, of these are dinosaurs and most are sapient. Also many stages of humans live there from early upright walking apes to early modern humans.

## Culture

"Dinotopian" is the name given to a citizen of Dinotopia. The Dinotopian culture is made up of many, many cultures from people of all corners of the globe. Ever since there have been shipwrecks, there have been humans living on Dinotopia.

Different areas of Dinotopia have been built by different cultures from the past. For example, Waterfall City had Aztec or Mayan architecture origins and Sauropolis had Roman architecture origins.