City Profile: Rhethos

The City of Canals - Rhethos

The City of Rhethos is the seventh largest city in Acroticus, with just over 1.2 million inhabitants. The city lies along the Imparic Ocean in the southern portion of the country. Historically the center of commerce for southern Adera, Rhethos has a long history of trade with the rest of the region. The city is most well known for the many canals that run through the city. In the medieval era, these waterways brought merchants and traders to the city, facilitating the cities economy. In recent years, the city's unique architecture and many waterways bring tourism from around the world. In fact, despite being Adera's seventh largest city, Rhethos makes the third most from tourism, bringing in over $40 billion from tourism in 2022.

The city of Rhethos is also one of the largest cities in Adera based on surface area. The city covers over 1,600 square kilometers, making it one of the most spread out cities in all of Acroticus. The city's laws facilitate this, as buildings over ten stories are banned, and buildings over five stories require additional government approvals. Proponents of this policy argue that this restriction prevents additional development and makes public transit more difficult. Indeed, Rhethesians pay more for public transit than most cities, with more than 51% of the budget going to the cities public water taxis and monorail.

Historically, Rhethos has been the center of the economy and the government for the Aderan south, and at times, the region as a whole. The Kingdom of Adera, the predecessor to the Acrotician state, was originally headquartered in Rhethos, only moving the capital to Vastia Elydese in 963 CE. During the Shattered States Period (1200 - 1400 CE), Rhethos remained an important trade city, and the capital of the Rhethesian state. After unification, Rhethos retained influence as the capital of the south, and remained an important trade port for the sale of Aderan agricultural products, furs, metals, and later, fossil fuels.