Expert in geography needed!

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Hello!

I am making an online virtual zoo, and to make it more realistic, I need a location for it (remember, it will be ENTIRELY online – NOT real). I will NOT earn any money on having a website about my zoo, and this is NOT me promoting my website (which doesn't even exist yet, and if it did, I wouldn't link to it nor promote it here).

Since the zoo is virtual, I consider ANYWHERE in the world as a possible location.

The location must meet these requirements:

A: Big city with lots of people, especially lots of tourists
B: An area of around 5 square kilometers (1,9 square miles), if not more, is aviable for building on
C: The building area is within driving distance from the big city, and there is a highway (or other big road for driving with cars and other vehicles) near the area
D: The area is appropiate for building on, i.e. relatively flat, solid and not too moist
E: In the city (or nearby), there should be an airport
F: The climate should be even (no extreme temperatures), either temperate or sub-tropical, no weather or environment extremes (low risk of flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes etc.), and it should be neither extremely dry nor extremely moist
G: The general population in the city must be good at English
H: It should be easy to access the city by both car and airplane
I: The locals must be interested in nature, animals, Global Warming and the like

I hope I get lots of suggestions - and THANKS if you suggest a location!

The thing is if you make a zoo based in a city that already has one IRL, people will think you're making an extremely inaccurate replica of it.

Is this for Second Life? Or something else?

What an odd question.

Since this zoo is fiction itsself you could make it anywhere you want, or make it in fictious fantasy world- like atlantis- or middle earth, or your own made up land.

But okay- you want it in a real place.

Florida has the right climate- and flat land- and has lots of real outdoor animal parks.

But ofcourse Florida gets lotsa hurricanes as well. So thats out.

How about either Montevideo Uraguay, or Bueno Aires Argentina?

Across the River Platte from each other these two cities have a climate similiar to that of Charleston South Carolina (like that US town they are right at the point that palm trees appear and the temperate zone starts to give way to the tropics.

There is lotsa flat land around (especially Bueno Aires).

And unlike the Northern Hemisphere US city- you dont get hurricanes.

There is an area near Glasgow in Scotland called Ravenscraig,formerly being a massive steelworks,which is currently being developed as a new town. The area seems to fit most of the profile

A. Glasgow metropolitan area has a population of around 2 million,the city is an important tourist destination/hub and conference centre.
B. Ravenscraig is said to be the largest derelict site in Europe.
C. Site is 20 miles from the city centre and next to major roads.
D. Area is flat and already being built on .
E. There are 3 airports within 1-2 hour's drive.
F. Temperate climate. Winters can be cold but not always extremely so and there's low risk of natural disasters.
G. English is the native language (albeit with local dialect and accent !)
H. 3 international airports within 30 miles are Glasgow,Prestwick and Edinburgh.Site is near 2 'motorways'.
I. The Scottish government is a supporter of wind and wave power and the largest windfarm in Europe is 20 miles away.
Although it's an urban area,the scenery and wildlife of the Highlands and Border regions are within 2-3 hour's travelling.

I hope that's an interesting suggestion

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

Now I have four different possible options. Where in the world my zoo would be located if it were real greatly affects how I'm gonna design the enclosures (even though I estimate a total number of around 300-400 enclosures, I'm gonna design every single one of them myself). Things such as humidity and temperature would greatly affect the design of the enclosures if the zoo was real (the elusive Saharan sand cat, for instance, likes humidity LOW, and would in a humid environment require a dry indoor enclosure to retreat to; actually, high humidity is a cause of death in this feline in zoos!). All of the requirements I have listed are important as to my wishes for how my zoo would be if it was real - make no mistake, if I could make it real, I WOULD! However, since I don't have billions and billions of dollars/euros, I settle for a website instead. My zoo is not for Second Life, rather it will be a website with detailed descriptions of how I would make a zoo if I could.

Best option so far is that place in Scotland. However, if someone has one or more suggestions, I would be very glad to hear!

Hi, Johannesburg in South Africa also fits the bill - plenty of flat ground, major airport and freeways and a moderate climate with mostly summer rainfall. It meets all the requirements mentioned. High altitude of 1700 metres. No ocean nearby, but there are lakes. The population are keen on the envorinment and looking into alternative energy sources.

It has coldish dry winters with a tendency to frost (but not snow except maybe every 20 years or so).

Durban has a moderate subtropical climate but is very hilly and sometimes has floods. Cape Town is another possibility but has cold, wet and miserable winters and dry summers.

The idea of a virtual zoo sounds excellent, and wish you luck with the project. I also have stacks of animal images, some of which could possibly be used to "populate" the cyberZoo?

Some photos of animals would be GRRREAT! So far, I've chosen to use photos from Wikimedia Commons (a part of Creative Commons; in short terms, media anyone can use for anything as long as they don't earn money on it). I am quite artistic myself, both with photography, cinematography (filming), painting and drawing. Therefore, I'll visit as many zoos as possible within the next few months (my virtual zoo is a BIG project; I've been working every day since March, and I'm not even half finished yet!) to film and photograph. I think a film makes it all seem more "alive" than a photo, but ALL media, including sound recordings, are appreciated - and since there'll be a Children's Zoo as well as the bigger less age-related part, photos of your horse/bunny/cockatiel/etc. will be appreciated too! I'll also make drawings (and perhaps paintings) of every single area, enclosure etc..

Just say it in the comments if you want more info about my zoo (I for instance have a list of areas, a name, a logo designed by a professional, the full species list for mammals etc.). Just don't ask for informations which might get my comments deleted - as you know, promoting your own website is NOT legal in here.

Also, if you have any media, please do tell under which license I may use it - I'll be happy if you choose one of the Creative Commons Share-Alike ones or perhaps even Public Domain, but I'll use your (good) media no matter the license.