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MarsThoughts

Terraforming of Mars has just begun, and most of the population is concentrated between the two tropics, at 120' to 60' west longitude. The rest of the planet is home to isolated settlements.

Mariners' Canyon

Valles Marineris is a giant canyon that goes from the Three Titans to the Acid Flats. Due to its own elevation and equatorial position, it is the most Earthlike environment available on Mars, and also the one with the greatest population density - the entire floor of the valley is covered in greenhouses and small towns, with living quarters and workshops encroaching on the canyon's walls. A large dam has been built at the canyon's "estuary" to the east, in order to trap in the oxygen. The long term plan for Mariners' Canyon is to flood it, making it the planet's first lake, but this has not happened yet. Most commerce happens here. It's even possible to go outside without a mask, and some brave souls risk streaking in the summer.

The Three Titans

The triplet Tharsis Montes are a little shorter than Olympus Mons, but look notably more imposing, due to higher gradients. The main spaceports on Mars encompass the two outer Titans and the valley between them and the third; the mountains have spiral railways that go to the launch sites at the top, while the valleys host landing facilities. The third mountain has been left barren as part of an agreement between the two factions that control the landing sites, but will eventually be developed if trade volume increases.

Mount Olympus

Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the Solar System. While there is a spaceport on top of its plateau, accessible by a funicular, it is mostly used for unplanned launches by smaller groups due to its distance from other landmarks. Small spacecraft tend to get off planet with one-two hops, the first to get on top of Mount Olympus, the second to go orbital. The plateau itself is occasionally prospected for precious metals, but no permanent settlement exists here.

Sun Plains

Solis Planum is an example of why Mars can seem a little topsy-turvy to Earth visitors - canyons are for agriculture, and plains are for mining. The Sun Plains offer a wide variety of polymetallic nodules that are harvested by large "grazer" machines; most of these landships are able to defend themselves, and duels for a particularly rich patch are common.

Golden Chasm

Aureum Chaos is the mouth of Mariners' Canyon; the name fits the environment once again thanks to terraforming, as the low altitude, relatively high temperature, and possibility of using local regolith as a soil component allow for growing grains -- under glass, of course. It is possible to go outside with a mask and heavy clothing, without a spacesuit.

Grecal Plains

Hellas Planitia is the other major depression in the Martian soil. While there is enough oxygen to breathe within the basin, temperatures are much lower than in the equatorial band - on the other hand, water ice is abundant. Ice is mined here and provided to the equatorial areas; the communities in the Grecal Plains tend to be very isolationistic and pride on self-sufficiency. Large solar concentrators allow for subsistence agriculture to take place.

Noah's Land

A long railroad connects the two populated regions of the planet, generally carrying ice one way and commodities the other. Noachis Terra is fairly hostile terrain, pockmarked with craters, but the abundance of meteorites makes prospecting for precious metal a viable option to make a living -- there are only a few permanent settlements, however, since meteorite prospecting is by nature a nomadic activity. Rather unimaginatively, the train going back and forth across this terrain is called The Ark; stations along the route are little more than dropoff points for minerals, and trading posts. Moving through Noah's Land requires low-atmosphere gear, although a hardy person may survive with just an oxygen canister for a few hours, and extremophile flora and fauna is starting to take hold.