- Arrakis -

Arrakis is a planet of vast wide deserts and dust seas, which cover 80% of its surface. Temperatures go from as low as 50 f at the poles up to 130 f in the deep desert.

There is NO precipitation whatsoever, although there are major storms which tear at its sufrace at up to 700kph. It is said that a storm in the deep desert could reduce a man to dust within MINUTES.

Sand and dust contamination is a massive problem, causing vast amounts of money to be spent on continually repairing and unclogging equipment and vehicles (also foodstuffs).

Another problem are the enormous sandworms, which roam the "Dune seas". These worms are almost impossible to kill and always appear at sites of spice harvesting. ANY equipment or vehicles still at the spice blow when a worm comes ARE destroyed by it. Very few people are known to have survived an attack by a Sandworm. (interesting note: Sandworms are attracted to shield defences. They will travel vast distances and cross territory line to attack a shield.)

Arrakis was once a luscious planet with open water running on its surface. This water later vanished from the surface of the planet, throwing Arrakis into an extremely arid ecosystem. Various terraforming schemes started by the Imperial Planetary Ecologist Pardot Kynes eventually succeeded in transforming Arrakis to a green, lush planet under the rule of Leto II.

Arrakis

Special Notes: Arrakis is the only planet in the known universe to possess the geriatric spice, melange. Melange is fairly common on the planet, albeit dangerous to harvest. (interesting note: it has long been suspected that there is a relationship between the worms and the spice.)

Civilization:

Society:

Feudal Fief of House Harkonnen

Starports:

Carthag (Class V), Arakeen (Class IV), several Class I, II, and III facilities scattered throughout the inhabited region, most likely several Class III and lesser ports run by smugglers in remote areas.

Installations:

none (post-Atreides Arrakis would include: a Governmental center, several Religious centers, and a University (The Arakeen War College)).

Economic Production:

The spice is what brings people to Arrakis, and almost all efforts, not used for survival a used to harvest this drug from the sands.