New Thames River

The New Thames River runs its short course on the island of New Britain in the United Kingdom and in so doing bisects Imperium, the most famous of the river’s numerous bordering cities. Although short at only 911 kilometers it retains significant cultural value as the river upon which the modern state was founded with pre-Imperium Georgetown.

Geography

Starting as a small stream in the New Brittany Range, the river winds down through the high hills until settling upon the lower plains, once plateau), where it runs nearly straight until reaching its mouth on the southern coast of New Britain. Although a relatively flat course, the river does feature an estuary owing to the river once cutting a valley through the plateau that now rests just above the ocean as a low-plain. This provides the city of Imperium with a deep and navigable inlet, one of the inviting characteristic the river offered to the settlers of Georgetown.

Navigation

With a deep and long estuary most of the New Thames is navigable, in fact most of its course through Imperium is lined with small docks and wharves, though mostly for small pleasure craft as larger merchant and commercial vessels are constrained by regulations and geography to the river’s lower regions.

It was this navigability that allowed for the rapid rise of Imperium as a suitable site for a colonial capital, allowing easy access to other colonial sea ports, but situated far enough inland to be secure from massive amphibious invasions. Although it is important to note that the city was nonetheless raided several times in its early years by native Azazians who crossed the mountains or traveled up river in shallow-draft boats.