Belt refers to the asteroid belt of Earth's solar system, Sol system. Citizens are named Belters.[1]
Belt possesses an abundance of valuable ores, which are easily accessible due to the low to nonexistent gravity of the rocks containing them.
History[]
Originally a harsh frontier under United Nations control, the Belt declared independence after creating Confinement Asteroid, a habitat with spin gravity that permitted safe gestation of children, and Farmer's Asteroid, the Belt's primary food source.
Almost immediately a lively competition began between the fiercely independent Belters and the technology police of the UN. Several years of tension and economic conflicts followed, but soon settled into a relatively peaceful trade relationship.
In Larry Niven's fictional Known Space universe, a Belter refers to a resident of the Asteroid Belt around Sol, sometimes known as the Sol Belt to differentiate it from Alpha Centauri's Serpent Swarm.
Culture[]
Rugged and highly individualistic, Belters make their living by mining the ores from the asteroidal rocks. Belters inhabit the main belt, Lagrange Point trojan asteroids of the outer planets, Centaur planetoids and Near Earth Asteroids.
Transient by nature, the only home they typically own is their spacesuit, and perhaps their singleship. As a form of heraldry, Belters decorate their space activity suit with elaborate (and often expensive) torso paintings. Most Belters, male and female, sport what is known as the Belter Crest: shaving their heads on the sides, leaving a strip of hair down the center resembling a Mohawk hairstyle. However, the hair in the back can be of any length, particularly for women.
In lieu of (or perhaps in addition to) a wake for their dead, Belters have a custom known as the ceremonial drunk. When a Belter dies, his or her close friends will typically get intoxicated (either alone or in groups according to one's nature or circumstance) and reminisce about the deceased.
Government[]
The Belt Government collects a 30% tax on all cargo sold within the belt. However, one can avoid paying the tax by smuggling one's cargo to an Earth facility, which collects no taxes. The caveat (beware) is that, if one is caught smuggling by the Belt police (known as Goldskins due to the color of their spacesuits), one will forfeit all of one's cargo to the Belt Government.
To a Belter, smuggling is considered "illegal (malum prohibitum (wrong as or because prohibited)) but not amoral/immoral (malum in se (wrong or evil in itself))". It is considered equivalent to a citation/ticket/violation on Earth. If caught, one simply pays the fine and that is the end of it.
According to the novel Protector, the Belt government is a meritocracy; Lit Shaeffer was chosen for a leadership position by aptitude test, and "worked [his] way up".
See also[]
References[]
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References[]
- ↑ Database