St. Cecilia Archipelago

The St. Cecilia Archipelago is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It is comprised of 19 islands (including 4 atolls), part of 6 sovereign nation states.

Geology
The archipelago was formed in various stages, along several sea-ridges and tectonic borders. The largest island, Altarea, lies on the Louisville Ridge, one of the longest seamount chains on earth. Several of the islands lie on fracture zones near the Pacific-Antarctic plate boundaries; the eponymous Challenger, Eltanin and Udintsev fracture zones. Further towards the tropics are the shallower seas, where the numerous islands of the Capricorns and Pitcairn can be found.

Geography
The St. Cecilia Archipelago is defined as an area contained within the following co-ordinates; The Kermadec Trench and Tonga Trench are used to generally mark the western boundary, separating the area from the nearby nations of Tonga and Samoa. The defined territory of the area stretches north-south from inside the Tropics, to the edges of the Southern Ocean and the Pacific-Antarctic ridge.
 * Between 20° and 60° S
 * Between 175° and 130° E

Nearby nations include the aforementioned Tonga and Samoa, travelling clockwise from there are the Cook Islands (New Zealand), Tahiti (France) and much farther to the east, Easter Island (Chile). To the south lie the Antarctic territories of Ross Dependency (New Zealand) and the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Transport
Travel in the area is regulated by the Cecilian Travel Office.

AIR: There is a local service covering the whole area, Cecilian Airways. Planes fly regularly between the five airports in the region, as well as covering western Oceania including Australia and New Zealand.

BOAT: The Cecilian Ferry Company supply a series of foot and vehicle ferries to enable transportation between the islands. Due to the size of the area covered, ferries are often available as overnight services. Local services are also run internally.

CRUISE: ACCEPU Cruises is a new cruise line servicing the area, with Louisville as the home port. It has teamed up with some of the larger, international lines to provide a unique service to the area, especially in terms of heading south.

RAIL: Due to the size of the islands, only two nations have a rail network. The Altarea Metro serves Louisville and the surrounding environs; it features three underground and two funicular lines serving thirty stations. The other railway is the Eltanin National Rail, running approximately 100 miles across the country.