Babel

Babel is the largest city and the capital of the Folkvangr Mandate. It was founded by the Folkvangr Council. It has 60,000 inhabitants and is one of the fastest growing communities of Folkvangr. It is the second largest city of the planet, after Santo Domingo, the capital of Central Folkvangr. Babel is situated in the central region of Bridgeland, north of Central Folkvangr.

People who travel by land from the Northlands to the Southlands or vice verse usually travel through Babel. It is also an important hub for air travel, the most popular mode of transportation on Folkvangr. Because of its location and relative early foundation date, Babel is the most diverse settlement on Folkvangr. It is an open settlement and it welcomes inhabitants regardless of lifestyle. However, it is also one of the most strictly regulated cities of Folkvangr, as it is the location of the government of Folkvangr Mandate, the Folkvangr Council. It is also the only community with facilities that are operated by the Folkvangr Council. Its airport is the only airport in the mandate that isn't privately operated. Most public buildings in the city were built by the Council.

Geography
Babel is situated in Bridgeland. It is quite close to Bridge's Bay. It has a tropical climate with almost no seasons.

Lay-out
Babel is a planned city in the sense that its city centre hasn't grown organically but was planned beforehand. The surrounding neighborhoods, however, are the result of organic growth and exhibit an irregular street plan. The city centre itself is composed of parks, large open spaces with public buildings and various small communes that are inhabited by some of the earliest colonists of Folkvangr. This Old City is open and spacious, like the rest of Babel.

Houses are concentrated in small groups west of the city, with large open tracts of artificially forested land inbetween. South of the city centre lies an urban sprawl that is much more densely populated, featuring a maze of alleys and walkways. There is a large tract of open land just northeast of the city that is used for concerts and events. Even further south of the city lies Babel Airport, the largest airport in the mandate.

Most of the governmental buildings, the Council House, the Forum of Babel, the University of Babel, sports parks and the Folkvangr Public Library are all situated in the heart of the city centre, surrounded by parks and small lakes. A couple of broad lanes run through the various neighborhoods of Babel, connecting faraway parts of the city.

Demography
Because of its open lay-out, the city covers almost 120 square kilometres (roughly a rectangle that faces southwards and measures 6 by 20 kilometres). The average population density is 500 inhabitants per square mile. However, because of its many parks and open spaces, neighborhoods have much higher population densities and often lie far away from each other. In fact, Babel can be considered as a collection of smaller villages, towns and communes.

There are many different religious groups in the city. There is a large Buddhist commune in the east. A small, liberal islamic neighborhood lies in the middle of an artistic commune in the northwestern part of the city, just south of a large girdle of Christian communes. Many people live in communal housing units.

The total population is estimated at 60,000, but this number is not definite, as the Council doesn't record place of inhabitance of its citizens. Some statistics put the number at 70,000, while Mensa Folkvangr has stated that at any time, there may reside as many as 90,000 people in the city. These kind of deviations from official statistics are possible because of the communal nature of housing, which allows for many guests and impermanent inhabitants. There are also large groups of Lodgers and Travellers that reside in the city for short periods of time.