Wasteland

Rewrite or review needed (specific requirements)

The contents below require additional review. Information included may not meet Nukapedia's quality standards and may require rewriting, reorganizing, or adding references for unsourced claims.

For other uses of the term wasteland, see Wasteland (disambiguation).

“It's called "The Wasteland" for a reason, but there are settlements, too, spread all around, the human race is stubborn like that.”— Lucas Simms

The wasteland, or simply the wastes, is the name generally given to the landscape of the Earth following the catastrophic results of the Great War in 2077 and specifically used to refer to the post-nuclear North America that serves as the setting of the Fallout series.

Background[]

The culmination of the Resource Wars, on the day of October 23, 2077, in the mere two-hour span of the Great War, nuclear warheads were fired by military actors from both the United States and China, and the results changed the face of the planet and affected all life on it for many centuries to come. After the atomic fire had ceased, the surface of the Earth was very different. Millions of man-made buildings and cities were demolished or severely damaged, with only a few exceptions. Most of the plants that had once flourished died as the Earth was changed from a diverse landscape to a barren and hot desert, radiation becoming a serious threat to what little life remained. Functionally, the reset button had been pressed for humanity.

Countries such as the United States ceased to exist all together, their former territories turned into scorched wastelands filled with new dangers due to mutations in wildlife that altered many of the species. As the remnants of humanity began to spread once again, new violence was introduced in the form of differing factions with many choosing to become raiders and slavers to survive. They began warring against each other in the new world, slowing the already difficult progress of the reclamation of humanity. Overall, the wasteland remains a different, radioactive landscape, where everyday life is a struggle.

Known regions[]

New California - Comprises California, Nevada, Oregon, and parts of Mexico.
Capital Wasteland - Comprises Washington D.C. and parts of Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
The Pitt - Comprises the surrounding area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Point Lookout - Comprises the surrounding area of Point Lookout State Park in Maryland.
Mojave Wasteland - Comprises parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah
Sierra Madre - Comprises the surrounding area of an unspecified location in the Southwest.
Zion Canyon - Comprises the surrounding area of Zion National Park in Utah.
Big MT - Comprises the surrounding area of an unspecified location in the Southwest.
The Divide - Comprises the surrounding area of an unspecified location near the border between California and Nevada.
The Commonwealth - Comprises the former state of Massachusetts.
- Glowing Sea - A radioactive region within the southwestern area of the Commonwealth.
The Island - Comprises the surrounding area of Mount Desert Island in Maine.
Nuka-World - Comprises the surrounding area of an unspecified western valley in Massachusetts.
Appalachia - Comprises parts of West Virginia and Virginia.
- Ash Heap - A dust filled region within the southwestern area of Appalachia.
- Toxic Valley - A toxic region within the north central area of Appalachia.
- The Forest - A lively forest region within the western and northwestern parts of Appalachia.
- Savage Divide - A mountainous region within the central and north central parts of Appalachia.
- The Mire - A mutated swampy region within the eastern and northeastern parts of Appalachia.
- Cranberry Bog - A mutated plains region within the southeastern area of Appalachia.
- Skyline Valley - Comprises the surrounding area of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
Atlantic City - Comprises the area of Atlantic City, New Jersey.