Matar, the fourth planet in the Pator system, is the home world of the Minmatar. It is sometimes referred to by the Minmatar as "Old Mother."
Historical Background
Far from New Eden, the system CMS-17 wasn't discovered until 8017 AD. Later renamed Pator, the fourth planet of this system was named Matar and was quickly colonized. After the collapse of the EVE Gate, there was a dark age on Matar until 18622 AD, when four distinct civilizations rose simultaneously. They became aware of each other, though they lacked the means to stay in sustained, meaningful contact. Approximately eight hundred years later, the tribes amalgamated and the new planetary culture that developed is still apparent in the Minmatar today.
Orbit and Climate
Matar has an orbit of 2.663 AU giving it a year of 1357 days. This relatively long orbit period, along with Matar's minimal axis tilt, results in very mild seasonal changes. With a surface that is 85% water, and lacking polar ice caps most of the year, the planet maintains a yearly average mean temperature of 306 K, or 32.85 Celsius. These conditions have made Matar especially conducive to hosting life, and it is home to millions of species.
Tectonic Plates
There are seven large tectonic plates on Matar, though there is very little tectonic activity. The two largest, the Atatlian and Caribo Plates, are suboceanic. The An Oon Plate in the northern arctic region is almost entirely submerged as well, contributing only one small island chain to Matar's landmass. The remaining four share the same longitudes and supply the majority of the planet's landmass. They are the four continents of Matar: Mikramurka, Houdea, Coricia, and Mioar.
Continents
Coricia
Straddling the equator, Coricia is the largest of the continents. Home to sweeping meadows and plains, large deserts and forests, and high plateaus and low-lying marshlands, it is also one of the most diverse. The old administrative center of Matar City lies on the northern coast of Coricia. This city was much enlarged under Amarr rule and served as the headquarters of the Amarr occupation forces. It was also a major spaceport used for slave transportation offworld. After the Great Rebellion and liberation of Matar, the Amarr-built city was discovered by Republic archaeologists to have been constructed over an obliterated cult center dedicated to the planet itself. The Republic Parliament once sat in Matar City but has shifted its location to the expanding town surrounding the Great Caravanserai.
The Eyniletti Plains on this continent are the ancestral lands of the Starkmanir Tribe. The Vherokior Tribe ancestral lands are also on Coricia, in the Greater Sobaki Desert, north of the Sobaki Sands. The Great Caravanserai is located at the edge of the plains, in the lee of some rocky hills close to the Greater Sobaki Desert. The Great Caravanserai is the seat of the Tribal Council and the location where the Tribal Assembly is held. Though the concept of a formal national capital is resisted by the Minmatar tribes, the Great Caravanserai and the township surrounding it has for all practical purposes assumed the role of government center.
Just south of the Sobaki Sands is Kulburis, situated on the coast in the former lands of the Starkmanir. Although severely damaged and all but abandoned during the Amarr Occupation, Kulburis is once more becoming a major regional center and government town. It has a shopping district near the beach where numerous performers and artists work for coins, but its real claim to fame is its proximity to one of the most sacred sites on Matar, the Crystal Desert. A large plain of crystallized rock formed by the thrusters of one or more huge colonization ships, it is commonly believed by the Minmatar to be the first landing site of the original colonists. Permanent structures are forbidden in the area surrounding the Crystal Desert, though the number of rituals held there, as well as the site's importance, has more or less led to a permanent tent-city near the site.
Houdea
Houdea in the northern hemisphere hosts the planet's most mountainous continent, as well as its longest river. The Tronhadar river carves a valley over five thousand kilometers long, from its source in the Krusu Mountains, to the Jade Coast. The ancestral home of the Krusual Tribe is here, in the isolated Upper Tronhadar Valley. The Nefantar tribe originally occupied the lowlands and coastal areas.
Mikramurka
The Mikramurka continent is in the northern arctic region, and is best known for the vast steppes that are the ancestral lands of the Sebiestor Tribe. A large amount of silica in the soil, and a distinction as one of the few places that experience regular freezing in the winters, make these steppes one of the most inhospitable places on Matar. The most notable settlement in Mikramurka is the city of Mithuris. This city lies close to the Crystal Steppe, another plateau of crystallized silica rock believed to have been formed by the thrusters of a colonization ship that brought settlers to the Mikramurka aeons ago. The Crystal Steppe is similar in status to the larger feature on the continent of Coricia known as the Crystal Desert.
Mioar
The Mioaran Plate, in the southern hemisphere, has no large portions that aren't submerged. Still, its abundance of islands and archipelagos combine to make up over 15% of Matar's total landmass. It was long thought these islands had been discovered and first settled by the Brutor Tribe when they were still a sub-clan of the Starkmanir Tribe. Though no one questions that the Mioaran islands are Brutor tribal lands, recent archeological finds have given credence to oral histories of the highly nomadic Thukker Tribe. These histories suggest that the Thukker originated on these islands, having left long before the Brutor arrived. Berrahem, once the largest of the Brutor cities, lies on the Southern coast of the largest island in the Mioar archipelago, Mahj. At one time, it sat in the middle of a huge web of rails that the Brutor constructed both above ground and under. This rail system connected many of the Mioar islands, and was destroyed during the Amarr occupation. Today, small sections of this system have been refurbished, mostly as heritage sites designed to remind the Minmatar of their former glory.
Oceans
With the four continents fairly stacked on top of each other on one side of the planet, and a large ocean on the opposite side, it is plain to see why the Minmatar named it the 'Great Wet Desert.' They made very few distinctions in terms of parts of the ocean, aside from the channels and straits that separate the various landmasses.
Orbital Bodies
Asteroid Belt 1
Orbiting at a mere 150km from Matar, this asteroid belt consists of veldspar and scordite. It has an orbit period of three days.
Moon I
The moon of Matar is fairly small with a radius of 132km. It has an orbit radius of almost 450 million kilometers and an orbit period of 17 days.
The Eternal Flame
At a distance of 1.3 AU from Matar is a statue named "The Eternal Flame." Built by the government shortly after the formation of the Minmatar Republic, the massive sculpture is meant to symbolize the everlasting passion and resilient spirit of the Minmatar people. In particular, it has come to stand for the determination of the Minmatar to remain free and liberate all of their people from slavery.
The Eternal Flame was constructed at some distance from Matar, evidently upon the remains of an old asteroid colony of some kind. Persistent rumor and speculation suggests this was an ancient Minmatar Empire station that once orbited Matar but the evidence for this romantic suggestion is scarce. Some even claim it is older still despite the total lack of supporting evidence.
Such remains as have been discovered at the core of the foundation asteroid are a mix of Minmatar and Amarr technology, and suggest it was established during the occupation period. Some have claimed the old structure was actually a pirate base though most prefer to believe it was a secret rebel outpost. Perhaps such distinctions are moot when considering the times in which it was apparently used.
Possible Former Orbital Bodies
The Harvested Moon
There is much evidence to suggest that the planet originally had two moons, though Amarr records make clear there was only one moon upon their arrival. Many Minmatar legends recount the harvest of Matar's smallest moon during their first short period of space exploration. Whether or not the asteroid belt that currently orbits the planet represents the remnants of this moon remains controversial. Perhaps more controversial is the theory that the harvesting of this moon led to tidal disruptions responsible for the climate changes the planet seemed to be experiencing around the time of first contact with the Amarr.
The Pre-Collapse Station
The accounts in Minmatar legend of a station orbiting Pator IV and predating the Minmatar civilization may also be true. No definitive evidence has been found, although enigmatic references in the Amarr records of the conquest of Matar seem to confirm its existence at that time. While there is speculation that the sculpture named the Eternal Flame" is constructed of this station's remains, no empirical evidence has been shown and these claims are widely regarded as romantic conjecture on the part of the artist.