Western Coast

The western coast is not known by any particular name, but it is the home to many important places in Dinotopia. It was subject to some minor flooding and lowered sea-level.

The Hatchery

The Hatchery is where all saurians go to lay their eggs, where they will be tended by both saurian and human attendants while they are incubated. Saurians lay few eggs during their lifetime—usually only two or three—so the laying off any egg is an important event in their lives.

The Hatchery includes a nesting room, a resting chamber, human living areas, guest quarters, and a windmill which powers the signal tower. And of course, an incubation room, which is kept at a temperature of 38° C (101° F). Any warmer would produce male hatchlings, and any cooler would produce females.

Due to the Hatchery’s position on a slope the earthquake has split the building into sections, and most of its roof has fallen in. Currently the roof is in repair and the Dinotopians are using oilskin tarps to keep off the weather and maintain the incubation room's temperature.

Image references: [1]

Pooktook

A reasonably sized city with broad avenues, street markets, and open-air theatres. It is a bustling cosmopolitan city, and curried food and cider are popular here.

Due to Pooktook’s relative proximity to Volcaneum was better prepared for earthquakes than most cities in Dinotopia. That said, it still suffered general widespread damage.

Sauropolis

The capital of Dinotopia. While Waterfall City is the centre of Dinotopia’s cultural heritage, Sauropolis is its centre for trade, politics and economic interests. Architecture here draws heavily from the Roman style, with broad avenues, high arches, heavy use of marble, and many grand and somewhat pretentious monuments. Having been built on the edge of Dolphin Bay, the city also has a Carthagian style harbour.

The city of Sauropolis also values democracy highly, with a Council of Elders who manage the city and a large number of philosophical factions who debate aspects of Dinotopian life.

Sauropolis has lost a number of its monuments and many of its marble pillars. There has been a great deal of ceiling damage in particular, and the harbour is in the process of reconstruction. Many of the island’s dolphins are helping fish debris from the sea.

Image references: [1]

Volcaneum

Volcaneum is a factory town, built on the caldera of an active volcano. Over the heart of the volcano are the casting and forging rooms of master smiths, while over the crown and down the slopes of the mountain are many stone buildings.

The town produces all ranges of everyday products crafted from smithing.

Volcaneum was one of the towns worst hit by the earthquake. While the volcano never fully erupted, much of the town fell into the caldera and was cut off from the rest of the island by lava-flows. It was also subject to a great deal of ash, forcing the residents to evacuate to the nearest townships or into camps on the side of the mountain. Currently the survivors are making overtures to reclaiming what is left of their town, particularly in light of the great need for tools all over the island. Extra aid has been spared by a number of the nearest towns in order to facilitate its reconstruction.

Image references: [1], [2]

Waterfall City

Waterfall City is the heart of Dinotopia’s culture. This is where the largest and most important festivals and cultural events occur. It possesses a theatre and observatory, and its library contains the bulk of the nation’s written heritage. As the centre of Dinotopian academic education and philosophy, this is where new arrivals are sent to acclimatise to Dinotopian culture.

During the earthquake nearly all the bridges in the city were destroyed, and the Haven of Muses, where dolphinbacks are ordinarily housed, has been lost completely to the Polongo River. A number of canals have been blocked and flooded other streets, and there has been general widespread damage.

Due to its importance in the game, Waterfall City has its own page.