Fayaan City

Fayaan City is the capital and largest city of Fayaan. It forms the center of the Capital State.

In December 2021 a referendum decided on renaming the city to Hoopsbaai City by the 1st of January 2024.

Physical geography

The physical geography of the region is largely controlled by the Cenozoic Fayaan orogenic phase. This orogenic phase resulted in the uplift of the entire Fayaan penninsula and the formation of the central mountain belt. Fayaan City is situated in a large north-south syncline-anticline system, with the city center being located in the large fractured syncline that acts as a kind of rift. To the east of the city this structure converges into a single mountain belt. This general structure results in a landscape of mountain belts, large river valleys, coastal lowlands and some plateaus.

Western Mountains

West of the city the Fayaan Orogeny results in two mountain belts: Roodwoudkust Mountains north of the Fayaan Deep, and Ronda Mountains to the south. In between lies the Fayaan Deep sea arm, in a synclinal rift structure. The crumbling edges of the mountain belts created the Noord and Zuid Hoopseilanden islands. Uplifted during the Cenozoic, both mountain belts are made up of a highly folded and fractured Paleozoic mountain belt and its rocks. During the Mesozoic these belts were submerged, locally leaving some Mesozoic marine sedimentary rocks. A volcanic phase has been locally active during the Cenozoic. During the Cenozoic there has been some localized volcanic activity: locally in the Roodwoudkust Mountains between 50 and 35 M years ago, and since about 40M years also in the Ronda Mountains. Historic eruptions occurred are limited to the Kratoe Volcano in July-September 1508 (), October 1785, March-June 1803 and December 1924-March 1925; the Zwartberg Volcano in October 1826; July 1828; March-April 1956; the nearby Kleine Zwartberg in spring 1621 to July 1623 and a minor eruption in April 1956; and Stille Zwartberg Volcano in August 1608.

Central Zone

East of the Western Mountains lies the Hoopsbaai estuarine zone, where the Maarl, Maandel and Bruine rivers end up in the Fayaan Deep sea arm. Here the Roudwoodkust Mountains turn into the lower and less pronounced Hoopsbaai Mountains. These are a number of low mountains and hilly areas, crossed by some major valleys, and range from the {{node|271037310|Waldberg} to the Kluizenaarsberg. Contrary to the Roudwoudkust Mountains they are no made up of an older Palaeozoic orogeny but are Mesozoic and early Cenozoic marine, coastal, estuarine and local fluvial deposits that were uplifted during the Cenozoic Fayaan Orogeny. Due to their less consolidated rocks, they are prone to landslides and mudflows and are thus not suited for urbanization or agriculture.

South of these Hoopsbaai Mountains lies the large estuarine zone of the main rivers, Maarl, Maandel and Bruine rivers. here Holocene floodplain, estuarine and coastal deposits predominate. Parts of the coastal/estuarine mudflats have been reclaimed, such as the Beaverpolder area and nearby Beaver Harbor, and most parts west of the Seawall. Locally some Neogene or early Quaternary sandy and gravelly river and beach deposits stick out in these Holocene deposits and form very small hills, in Lutetian often called Donk. These were often the preferred places for settlement. The old centre of St Denijs Hoopsbaai is such a donk, with an altitude of up to 7 meters. Also President City is a donk, with an altitude of up to 8 meters. The history of the former Holocene river channels is often complex and not well understood. The Oude Maarl^∈⊾ was probably never a main stream, but rather a side stream of the Maarl. It was still active during the 1600s, but its western connection to the sea was filled up between 1689 and 1720. Another side stream, the Zuidmaarl was a marshland (and former main channel?) until 1637, when a flood reactivated it as a channel. Since then it has formed an additional defence line for St Denijs Hoopsbaai. In 1776 its downstream part was channelized. During much of the last 10 000 years the main channel of the Maandel was located to the south of President City, while the current channel was active as a side stream, making President City an island. But in historical times this channel was already a side channel, or maybe even abandoned. Historical sources during the late 1500s describe this area as a large marshland with several lakes. The defence linie and current railway tracks near the current {{node|269602322|South Station} have been build at the location of this channel. Historical channels of the Bruine are located to the west of the current channel, but due to the construction of the Beaver Harbor little information remains.

Between the estuarine zone and the surrounding mountains, the landscape is made up of gently rolling hills incised by river valleys. This region is often referred to as the Hoopsbaai valleys, even though technically much consists of plateaus and terraces. Here Neogene and early Quaternary estuarine, fluvial and hillslope deposits dominate the hills and terraces, with Holocene fluvial deposits in the valley bottoms. Some late Quaternary river terrace deposits have been preserved. This region has always been a fertile agricultural land but is now largely urbanized with Fayaan City, Maarlen and Roerberg. The Goedsberghen^∈⊾ stand out as the most prominent hill region. They have been formed by more consolidated gravelly Neogene river deposits, that have withstood subsequent erosion contrary to the surrounding terraces.

The southern part of the central zone is dominated by the Ronne Mountains^∈⊾, which are very similar to the Ronda Mountains: highly folded and fractured Paleozoic metamorphic rocks (from a previous mountain belt stage) that have been uplifted during the Fayaan Orogenic Phase. Northwest of them we find the Luccelle-Bolburg region with rolling hills and incised river valleys, much like the Hoopsbaai valleys. Also here we find Neogene and early Quaternary estuarine, fluvial and hillslope deposits, with Quaternary river terraces and floodplains. Uplift is more pronounced here, compared to the Hoopsbaai Valleys, and the landscape is thus more incised. This was an important limit to urbanisation, also because of the occurrence of landslides, and we find here a more fragmented landscape of urbanized areas with meadows. Between North Wodwick and Playa Palmera we find some coastal marshes, which have been urbanized in recent times.