Editing Meadow (section)

= Natural Resources and Industry =
Meadow is blessed with expansive rolling steppes and forested taiga, several sizeable oceans and some truly spectacular mountain ranges.  The original inhabitants chose well toward their goal of recreating as closely as possible their beloved country on Earth That Was.  Even the climate engineers have managed to reproduce the weather conditions of the Russian ancestral home.  Winters are harsh over much of Meadow, with snow and ice lasting over seven months of the year.  Summers are brief and vibrant.  Spring and Autumn are milder and wetter.  The mean temperatures throughout the year, however, tend toward the cold end of the thermometer, given Meadow's distance from the system's star. <br><br>

Forestry is a valuable source of revenue on Meadow, with wood and wood pulp products sustaining a large section of the overall economy.  Everything from construction lumber to furniture to paper to art objects are manufactured from Meadow's vast forests of broadleaf hardwoods and and coniferous softwoods. Currently little is exported off Meadow, as production is barely meeting domestic demand.  Off-world developers have so far been discouraged from large-scale investments in the industry by Meadow's inhabitants, with preference given to native developers instead. br><br>

The soil is rich and black, with a fair amount of volcanic material, evidence of the planet's geological heritage although current volcanic activity is confined to a relatively small total area of the planet's surface.  As a consequence, most of the arable land area of Meadow is optimal for growing food crops and as pasturage for livestock. Grain such as wheat, corn, buckwheat and barley are the mainstays of the domestic grain market, while beef and bison dominate the meat market.  A smaller percentage of sheep, pig, goat and poultry round out the total of meat raised on Meadow.  Despite near-perfect conditions for grain and livestock production, Meadow's surplus for off-world trade is slim.  Inefficient harvesting technology and distribution systems have handicapped the development of Meadow's potential as the breadbasket world for the Georgia system.  Improvements are underway but are progressing slowly as the inhabitants overcome their distrust for newer, off-world methods.<br><br>

Despite its picturesque name, Meadow has large areas designated as industrial zones, devoted to heavy industry of various types.  Regulation of toxic materials is not as meticulous as in the Core.  As a result a good percentage of the environment immediately surrounding such zones is contaminated.  Ore mining and refining, oil/fuel wells and refineries, metal foundries, plastics and electronics production have all made their mark on the planet. Studies are not yet conclusive, but there is reasonable cause to suspect that toxic pollution is responsible for the high incidence of medical problems amongst the populace in the more highly concentrated areas of industry, including cancer, birth defects and chronic pulmonary diseases.<br><br>

Power for Meadow is largely provided by nuclear plants and it was the combination of one of these going critical amidst the primary oil refinery facility of the planet that touched off the string of events that necessitated Alliance intervention.  As stated elsewhere, the industrial and domestic infrastructure damaged by those events have been largely replaced and in some cases improved through Alliance intervention and aid.  After years of unceasing labor, Meadow is finally emerging from the aftereffects of the disasters and it is hoped it will not be long before the planet can realize its full potential, taking its rightful place as one of the more valuable and productive planets of the Georgia System.<br><br><br><br><br>
[[File:Gulag.jpg|thumb|right|'''Cерый Oгонь ГУЛаг''' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Seryi Ogon GULag]]