Megacities in Judge Dredd

Megacities in the Judge Dredd comics are a fictional exaggeration of the real megacity concept: instead of just being a large conurbation, they cover most of their original country and have replaced nations as the dominant political entity. The most commonly seen megacity is Mega-City One. In the strip, these cities are all that remains of their original countries after the Atomic Wars of 2070, and are mostly dictatorships run by the Judges.

The exact number, location, nature, and even name of megacities is dependent on the writer of any given Dredd strip. For the Shamballa strip in prog 701, Alan Grant told artist Arthur Ranson that he could make up a number of cities and features for a map: he told Ranson “probably nobody will ever bother with it again”. ^[1]

Concept

The first mention of other megacities came in Robot Wars, with a Texas City Oil freighter. ^[2] This was followed by Luna 1, when Dredd was appointed Judge-Marshall of the Luna-1 colony, with his order calling it a colony of "the United Cities of North America"; the narration referred to three separate cities, in existence from 2061. ^[3] The next issue would mention Texas City as one of these cities, and The First Luna Olympics would introduce "the Sov-Cities" and "Brit-Territories". ^[4]

These early strips also referred to nations, but as the strip went on it would be megacities that would be the dominant concept. Luna 1 also showed a modified US flag – three stars instead of 50 – and mentioned the "United Cities of North America" under a body called the Triumverate. The start of The Cursed Earth ^[5] would then show Mega-City One and Two as autonomous and prog 128 would refer to the Soviet East-Meg One as an independent entity. This would be the default from then on.

In Dredd backstory, the megacities formed out of growing urbanisation and reached crisis point in 2027, forcing the United States to impose an "instant justice" form of law enforcement. ^[6] This was widely copied by the foreign megacities, ^[7] which included the Union of Soviet Mega-Cities, the European City-States, Brit-Cit, and the Sino Block by 2070. ^[8] During the run of Dredd, eight cities have been destroyed.

List of cities

Two previous maps had appeared in The Cursed Earth and Oz, identifying Mega-City One and Two and various Australian cities, respectively. The Judge Dredd Mega-Special No. 1 (1988) had the first global map, with the locations all the previously depicted Mega-Cities and two unnamed African ones. To give room for future strips, it said that "only cities bound by the Hiroshima Accord are shown... others exist but choose not to acknowledge anything beyond their defensive walls" and that the Sov-Block were keeping the location of all their cities secret. The next map was in prog 701 in Anderson: Shamballa, naming a larger number of cities (and naming the previous African cities as Simba City and New Jerusalem). A post-Judgement Day version of this map, with some added features, was placed on the 2000 AD website. ^[9] A further map was printed in Judge Dredd Megazine for the Pan-African Judges strip. ^[10]

Outside of these, the number and names of megacities comes from the comic strips they appear in, and may contradict the earlier maps (who can be inconsistent with each other). One example is that the "Dredd's World" map shows the Sov-Block covering not just the USSR and Warsaw Pact, but also Scandinavia, North and Central Asia, the Koreas, and most of China. In later strips, the Mongolian Free State, Korea, and the Scandinavian Confederation would be separate polities; and China was covered by the long-standing Sino-Block, a long-time rival to the Sov-Block.

North America

• Mega-City Two is a huge fictional city in the Judge Dredd comic book series. It was first described ^[11] as covering "five thousand square miles of the Californian West Coast" and a later map ^[12] showed Mega-City Two stretching up the entire West Coast, covering California, Oregon, and Washington (State). Like its sister city of Mega-City One, it was a dictatorship run by the Judges. The city was destroyed in 2114 after being overrun by zombies. The city formed out of a growing urban sprawl and became partially self-governing under the Autonomy Act of 2052, with its own Chief Judge. ^[13] It later became America's second city (nicknamed "the Second Meg") after the Atomic Wars of 2070, which killed Chief Judge Gabe Suarez, and closely allied itself with Mega-City One and Texas City. The city would develop its own laws, culture, and aesthetics; this was depicted in Mega-City Two: City Of Courts (see below) which may or may not be in continuity. Mega-City Two owed its survival to a mission of mercy carried out by the Judges of Mega-City One when it was afflicted with the deadly Virus Strain 2T(FRU)T in 2100. With millions infected and all airports overrun, Judge Dredd had to drive a vaccine through the Cursed Earth (with only Dredd and the alien Tweak surviving). Despite that, Mega-City Two refused to intervene in the Apocalypse War between its sister city and East-Meg One. This was because they could not attack East Meg One when it was protected by its force field, and they would be destroyed by a counter strike. ^[14] The late 80s and early 90s used Mega-City Two in two stories, Chopper: Song of the Surfer (progs 654-665) and Judge Dredd: Babes in Arms (progs 776-9). The city was shown to be a brighter, more colourful place than Mega-City One, with an unpolluted ocean along its coastline and a less oppressive atmosphere. Under the Death Game Amendment of 2104, violent televised "death games" were legal and hugely popular; Supersurf 11 was brought to the city and deliberately made so violent by the organiser that most of the contestants were slaughtered. (The organisers StigCo had been bribing the Judges, as their plans hadn't quite matched the law; heads rolled in Justice Department when the news broke). ^[15] The citizens resembled contemporary parodies of California.

• In 2114 Mega-City Two was completely overrun by zombies unleashed by the evil Necromagus Sabbat. With the city beyond hope of rescue, the place was nuked out of existence on the orders of a council of Judges from all over the world at the suggestion of Judge Dredd. A second incarnation of Mega City Two was later built by the Hondo City Judges and run by acting-Chief Judge Tokugawa. It was to be used as an overflow as the islands where their main city had been built were full and had no easy way of expansion. Mega-City One suspected they were up to something but nothing was ever proven. The Hondos arranged for the Supersurf 13 contest in 2117 to be held there to draw attention to the new city. The Hondo Cluster (as it was nicknamed years after its abandonment) was soon abandoned due to the cost, a series of strange murders and disappearances, and the sheer difficulty of getting people to move thousands of miles from friends and family. They took what they could and left the rest. ^[16] The story "California Babylon" in progs 1731-4 showed that the city remained in ruins in 2133, dominated by mutant gangs that had moved in. A few remaining Judges were trapped in a Tek bunker but were swiftly slaughtered when the gangs found them, with only Judge Siobhan Garrison surviving to seek aid from Mega-City One. In 2135, Mega-City One deported its Sov-immigrant citizens to the Mega-City Two ruins, as an alternative to sending them to East-Meg Two or keeping them in internment camps. ^[17] An area was reclaimed and named "Sovsec", policed by an understaffed Judge force run by Judge Garrison. ^[18] (In the former story, artist Andrew Currie mistakenly drew it as East-Meg Two with Sov-controlled city; ^[19] this was explained away later as the Sov Judges being there to help transfer the citizens.) The reclaimed area was under constant mutant attack and supplies were rationed. They first moved the people into the abandoned Hondo blocks but quickly ran out suitable locations. The refurbishment of the old Hondo blocks and the construction of new ones was slow (homes were given by lottery). After the East-Meg 2 Judges left the remaining Judges were undermanned; a visiting Galen DeMarco viewed it as "a stop-gap solution that's only going to blow up in everyone's faces". ^[20] SovSec is close to the Compound, a survivalist fort set up by anti-mutant Mega-City One residents after the apartheid laws were repealed; mutants are shot on sight. ^[21] IDW Publishing ran a Judge Dredd: Mega-City Two, City of Courts miniseries in 2014, by Douglas Wolk, Ulises Farinas, and Ryan Hill. Wolk said "my internal rule was to not contradict anything in either the IDW Judge Dredd series or the British stories, and to avoid picking a side in cases where details of continuity were in dispute." This led to the story being set in 2094, allowing the city and its Judges (depicted with white-gold uniforms and a 'teddy bear' logo after California's state flag, while SJS wore grey-white with 'dead face' logos) to look different to the way they appeared in The Cursed Earth. ^[22] In 2094, Mega-City Two was run by Chief Judge Kazou-Juan Kennedy out of the Mountain of Justice. His exploits as a Street Judge had been documented in eight seasons of the show "Bulletproof Law". To cut out the block war problem, Kennedy introduced the court system. Each block or neighbourhood (called "communities" in MC2) could have its own distinct laws, with the same judge force for all. ^[23] Due to the power and importance of the entertainment industry, refugees were only allowed into the city if they fit a list of available roles for extras. ^[24] The intense crowding on the city's roads mean that the roadbots - which are controlled by a queen node in a hive intelligence ^[25] - will sometimes build traffic knots in densely populated areas. The rich can escape quickly but everyone else can be stuck in the traffic for days. ^[26]
• Texas City – Older stories say it was originally called Mega-City Three (and it has both names in the 701 world map), but Origins retconned it to have been Texas City since the 2050s. It is run by the Justice Council out of the Lone Star Hall of Justice. The architecture is dominated by Wild West imagery. ^[27] No license is needed for any type of firearm. ^[28] Original home of the notorious Angel Gang. An area of the Cursed Earth is classed as Texas City Territories, patrolled by Texas Rangers; the territories spread their jurisdiction to Louisiana and Alabama. ^[29] It fought a civil war against Mega-City One and Two to gain greater autonomy. ^[30] They begin to expel mutant citizens in 2102, in line with its fellow Mega-Cities, to the Mutant Homelands near Lake Louisiana ^[31] and by 2117 a ghetto of mutant ex-citizens existed at the border, used for cheap labour. ^[32] Corrupt Chief Judge Wotan came to power in 2119 and was assassinated in 2120 by Saul "Killer" Cain. Unlike Mega City One judges Texas City's are paid.
• Las Vegas – centred entirely on gambling; there had been a Judge system but the Mafia usurped control of it after the Atomic War, with Mega-City One unaware of what had happened. The office of "God Judge" was chosen after an annual gang-fight between contestants. Dredd and the rebel League Against Gambling overthrew these Judges in 2100 and the League became the new Judges, ^[33] but the old regime seized control again some time after Dredd had left. Destroyed in 2126 by a nuclear strike launched by Judge Death. ^[34]
• Honolulu – only shown on the prog 701 map.
• Uranium City – a small city in a larger Alaska, possesses its own Judge force but de facto run by large corporations; divided into the wealthy Core for corporate HQs, the industrial Indcom, the Strip (gambling and pleasure industries), and the 'Burbs where factory workers live. Psyko-personality drugs, giving the user a specified emotion, are legal. Rural settlements and mining colonies throughout Alaska are overseen by sheriffs (usually apathetic) and Circuit-Judges (usually absent). Uranium City Judges are trained in the Academie de Justice. ^[35] A bio-bomb was detonated in the Hall of Justice in 2118. ^[36] By 2135, the Judges wore the same uniform as Mega-City One and had a casual, relaxed approach. ^[37]
• Bruja – shown on the online world map; appears to be Haiti. War-torn Bruja City is associated with poverty, corruption, and devil worship.

Latin America

• Pan-Andes Conurb/Andean Conurb – in the Andes, seems to cross Bolivian and Peruvian borders. In its first mention as the "Andean Conglom", ^[38] it was carrying out "the purges" and was the centre of illegal arms deals (literally, dealing in severed arms). The city and Judge System was detailed in The Sugar Beat (prog 873-8, set in 2116), showing their Judges and revealing them to be corrupt and incompetent, ruling over a poverty-stricken, rundown city. Chief Judge Garcia and part of his force were overthrown and arrested by Dredd for their involvement in the illegal sugar trade. Has a long-term rivalry with Mex-Cit and was part of the Global Paternship Treaty with Luna-1 until 2126. [39]
• Mex-Cit – Mexico. First mentioned in prog 626, shown in prog 649 (both 2111 AD). The Luna-1 run of stories showed Mexican Judges, who resembled Texas City Judges but with sombreros. Has a rivalry with the Pan-Andes Conurb. ^[40]
• Ciudad Barranquilla – based on the sprawl of Buenos Aires, Argentina; nicknamed Banana City. It is well known for its Judicial corruption and haven status for criminals. Dredd has worked undercover in the city, hunting down a rogue Mega-City One Judge. Invaded in 2128 by a Mega-City Coalition led by Mega-City One and Dredd himself, ostensibly to end widespread human rights abuse through regime change. ^[41] The wealthy Judges provide their own uniforms which tend to vary in colours.
• South-Am City – based on the original city of Santiago, Chile. When shown in Judge Anderson: Shamballa (prog 701), it had soldiers holding a crowd back rather than Judges. Destroyed by nuclear strike on Judgement Day. ^[42]
• Brasilia – based on the huge urban sprawl of Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; destroyed by nuclear strike on Judgement Day. ^[43] Previously the centre of the illegal coffee trade to Mega-City One. ^[44]
• Rio – briefly mentioned during Day of Chaos . In context, most likely Rio de Janeiro (or possibly Rio Grande do Sul).
• Lima – shown on prog 701 map.
• Panamana – future Panama. Mentioned by PJ Maybe in The Talented Mayor Ambrose.

Europe

• East-Meg One (renamed Sov-Block One ^[45] ) – Soviet Union. Prime city of the Sov-Block. A former antagonist of Mega-City One's, behind multiple acts of aggression, it was destroyed by Judge Dredd during the Apocalypse War. Megagrad was built on its ruins. Survivors from the city have attempted numerous retributive actions against Mega-City One, and a New Kremlin was set up at the Mediterranean Free State. ^[46] Eventually the city was renamed and abandoned by everyone but its few remaining Judges who have gone totally insane executing people for such crimes as stepping on cracks, not eating greens and not helping with the washup. ^[47]
• East-Meg Two (renamed Sov-Block Two ^[48] ) – Soviet Union. A glasnost period existed in East-Meg Two for several years, but after the assassination of Supreme Judge Traktorfaktori ^[49] it has since returned to hostilities with Mega-City One. Under Traktorfaktori, it was involved in helping Mega-City One (and others) against the Deros threat and Judgement Day, with noted Judges Asimov and Brylkreem sacrificing themselves against these respective threats. It embraced 20th century American commercialism and houses the body of Elvis who many citizens revere as if he was Jesus. ^[50] It also allows genetic engineering producing talking horses and dogs. ^[51]
• Glasnost City – mentioned as "new" in Judge Dredd Megazine #2.27, set in 2115.
• Brit-Cit is a huge fictional city in the fictional universe of British comics 2000 AD and Judge Dredd. The city covers the south of England and bordering on the Black Atlantic. It also has jurisdiction over Cal-Hab (Scotland), the South Wales Peninsula, and Murphyville (Ireland). It is the setting for many spin-off strips, including Armitage, Cal-Hab Justice, and Strange & Darke. In the first mention of Britain in Judge Dredd, set in 2100, there is a reference to Brit-Territories. ^[52] Brit-Cit has many similarities to Mega-City One - it is crowded with a population of 160 million inhabitants who live in huge City Block apartments and unemployment and crime are rife. Quite a few examples of England's more classical architecture remains, and much of the lower classes live outside the city in decaying 20th Century houses. The city is split into Sectors, named after the original area they were built over, such as Oxford Sector and New Soho. Class divisions are rife. The BBC has evolved into the BCBC (Brit-City Broadcasting Corporation), which still runs a World Service (For King And Country audio). Brit-Cit society is also riddled with class division and privilege. While the country is officially run by the Judges' Star Chamber, the criminal Overlords and the surviving aristocracy are highly powerful; the Overlords tend to change, however, due to internal conflicts. The Royal Family live inside the Forbidden Citadel, a bunker turned into an independent (and deliberately isolated) city-state from 2070-2114 before Justice Department took control. ^[53] Since then, the Citadel is no longer isolated and the Royals have been seen in the wider world. (The Student Prince, Prog 2002; For King and Country) Brit-Cit has a special relationship with Mega City One (to the extent of being the only nation that didn't condemn President Booth during the run-up to the Atomic Wars) and the two work together quite often. Brit-Cit provided refuge for Mega City One Judges when Nero Narcos took over the city and covertly aided Judge Dredd in liberating the city with technical and personnel support. Brit-Cit contributed medical and technical personnel and commando units to assist in an international humanitarian mission in Ciudad Barranquilla. The two cities have also run exchange programmes with their Cadet Judges, as seen in The Hunting Party. Brit-Cit is aware, however, that Mega-City One is deliberately concealing an "Alpha File" from them that could shatter this relationship; spies sent to retrieve it have "disappeared", leaving Brit-Cit unaware that the File contains information about an atomic war in Britain in 2150. ^[54] In "Day of Chaos", Brit-Cit sent robots to aid Mega-City One but refused to send any humans due to the Chaos Bug, cases of which were already breaking out in Brit-Cit.
• Cal-Hab – short for Caledonian Habitation Zone (Scotland). Mostly rural and under Brit-Cit jurisdiction, though Cal-Hab judges have a separate uniform drawing on tartan and the Scottish saltire.
• Murphyville – Mega-City of the Emerald Isle (Ireland); impoverished until it got Brit-Cit corporate funding, which turned into a theme park. The Judges wear uniforms based on the Irish flag and have a much more laid back approach to their jobs, similar to traditional police forces. Rarely sees violence, outside of Judgement Day and the Bloody Monday Morn terrorist attack in 2113.
• Ciudad Espana – in Spain. First shown in 2000 AD prog 701. Described in Wetworks as having matador-style uniforms.
• New Málaga – shown in 2000 AD prog 1766.
• Euro-City/Euro-Cit – Centered around Strasbourg. It possesses a "French Quarter", ^[55] "Belgian Sectors", ^[56] and German-speaking citizens. ^[57] A Euro-City Judge was briefly shown in Megazine No. 246. Ruled by German-accented Chief Judge Boltstern in 2126, until he was killed by Juddah (Jihad audio drama). It once had its own royal families, but they were executed many years ago. The Euro-Cit crime families circa 2134 are said to be especially brutal. ^[58]
• Cannes - still the site of the Cannes Film Festival ^[59]
• Berlin Conurb – possesses a Judge force that cooperates with Mega-City One and shown as relatively peaceful in 2080, ten years after Atomic War. ^[60]
• Ruhr Conurb – mentioned in 2000 AD prog 425 as the home of skysurf champion Klaus Reich.
• Vatican City – possessing its own Judge-Inquisitor force (design of them differs between Dredd: Crusade and Devlin Waugh), Judge-Troops, and DeepCore, a special/covert occult ops group. Has a remit to provide a global defence force against demonic incursions, as well as having off-world spies; ^[61] uses freelance agents like Devlin Waugh to this end.
• Italian City States – mentioned in Judge Dredd Megazine 3.15's reprint of Heavy Metal Dredd, including Milan. Milan is later called the Milano Enclave in 2000 AD prog 1474. 2000 AD prog 1767 introduces the Italian city of Firenzia (future Florence), with a Da Vinci International Airport.
• Geneva – victim of a terrorist attack by Ursa Dancer, killing tens of thousands after she poisoned the enclave's hydropons. ^[62]
• Czech Protectorate – seen in 2000 AD prog 1765, split into enclaves like the Prague Enclave. Used in 2134 by Sov agents to send the Chaos Virus to MC-1, which caused an outbreak of the virus in the Protectorate. ^[63] Mega-Special #1 presented it as being in the Sov-Block in 2110.
• Mediterranean Free State – floating city-state of various buildings and detritus from global wars; inhabited by international refugees and dissidents; ^[64] policed by the Free State Police, a traditional police force, and ruled by a Secretary. East-Meg One survivors gathered there under the New Kremlin. MC-1 Genetic Infantry launched a reprisal assault on the New Kremlin part of the Free State, killing civilians in the process, and occupied it in 2124. ^[65]
• New Amsterdam Free-Zone – mentioned in the audio drama Judge Dredd: Grud is Dead .
• Midgard – Scandinavian city-state introduced in the 2004 audio play Judge Dredd: Jihad ; Chief Judge Sven is part of the 2126 Global Justice Summit. Midgard is also part of Luna-1's Partnership Treaty and covets lunar territory in Eclipse .
• Helsinki - held the Mega-Olympics shortly before 2114, in which Devlin Waugh competed.
• Havn City - Located in Nu-Iceland appears to be a small domed city built on a glacier. Polar bears seem to common in the surrounding area. ^[66]

Asia

Hondo City is a huge fictional city covering most of Japan in the Judge Dredd comic book series. Most of its development comes from the Judge Dredd Megazine strip Shimura by Robbie Morrison. Hondo City, like Mega-City One, is a giant future metropolis with heavy population density that crams its population into city blocks. It appears to stretch from Hokkaido to Wakayama, according to the Shimura strip. The Hondo City Blocks reflect a more aesthetic, manga-like sense of design than the functional squat structs in Mega City One, and exist side by side with traditional wooden houses. Several islands off the coast of Hondo live a traditional 20th Century rural Japanese lifestyle. Hondo is the most technologically advanced of the Megacities, and its energy needs are supplied by orbiting nuclear power satellites. Underneath it is Undercity, the decayed and buried remains of the original Tokyo that are crawling with powerful oni-like mutants. Like most cities in Judge Dredd, Hondo is run under a judge system, with the judge-inspectors acting as government, police and judge, jury and executioner to preserve order. The Hondo judge-inspectors are highly disciplined and well-armed, and are similar in mindset and culture to ancient samurai. Their uniforms have bio-circuitry links allowing them to use their tendo stave weapons (a form of bludgeon and also a hidden built in laser rifle.) and laser-shuriken discs as extensions of their own bodies. In following their samurai leanings, energy-based sabers, futuristic nunchucks and traditional katanas are also used. Unlike foreign judges, they wear no badge with their name on; their names are printed on the rising sun symbol on their uniforms, viewable only through the visor on another judge's helmet, with the intent that the citizens see justice as one entity rather than a group of individuals. Originally they piloted high-speed Japanese versions of Mega-City One's Lawmaster cycles, but they have recently upgraded to hovercycles. Traditionally the city was ruled by a chief judge but in more recent stories the head of state is now known as the Shogun Judge. Despite their high discipline, the judge-inspectors have the freedom to conduct sexual relationships unlike their American counterparts, and the law in Hondo seems slightly less harsh. There is a judicially sanctioned "pleasure quarter" in Tokyo District called Yoshiwara, with the intent of containing and controlling the sex industries. The Justice Department suffers from infiltration by elements of the yakuza societies, leading to corruption and inefficiency – nearly every district house in Hondo has a yakuza judge in its command strata. The yakuza societies and many elements within the judiciary view each other as a necessary evil in order to maintain a balance in Hondo. It also took until 2113 for the first female judge-inspector, Aiko Inaba, to go on duty and there are extremely few other women in that job; there was heavy institutional pressure to have her flunked as a Cadet. The high technological level of Hondo came in extremely useful during the crisis of Judgement Day. Hondo's skreemers – powerful sonic cannons – were able to vapourise Sabbat's zombies before they could enter Hondo, and this level of security made it ideal as the centre of a global meeting on how to handle the crisis. The global team of judges sent in to bring down Sabbat wore heavily armoured Samurai battle-armour, cutting a swathe through the undead. The Justice Department of Hondo has a permanent military presence around the Web, the network of Borneo and the Indonesian islands linked by giant mutant coral growths, in order to deal with the threat of the coral mutation and to contain the highly prosperous levels of crime within the Web. The Web was not able to finance a Judge system (seemingly being cut loose from Indonesia, which had a megacity in Djakarta) due to the crippling costs it took to battle the coral – namely paying Hondo a crippling sum to have techno-wizard Masamune Taoka find a way of containing the coral, and the pressure of being forced to take a large number of Hondo's undesirables in return for their services.

• Hong Tong – in Hong Kong, and under dual Brit-Cit/Sino Cit control. Heavily dominated by the triads; Sino-Cit officially claims it is "contaminated" by the West and they use it to keep unrest away from the main city, though unofficially the money Hong Tong generates is used to fund judicial crackdowns back home. ^[67]
• Ho Chi Minh City – mentioned in 2000 AD prog 1841.
• Singapore – held the 2114 Pro-Amateur Sex Event in 2114 (Return of the Taxidermist). In 2125, involved in the Sino-Singapore Civil War and numerous refugees had fled to Hong Tong.
• Indo-City – in India, on Shamballa map. Part of the Luna-1 treaty. ^[68] While it possesses centres of opulence, the city is generally so poor and crime-stricken that the Justice Department in 2121 lacks resources to search for missing children. ^[69] Lord Benjamin Hekt had a totem-bomb detonated in 2121, activating a centre of pestilence around India; supernatural chaos spread across a 200-mile radius.
• Delhi-Cit/Nu Delhi – named Delhi-Cit in prog 842, Nu-Delhi in prog 1441. Judge Anderson: Shamballa refers to the original Delhi being one of the Atomic War ruins (prog 704). Possesses a Judge force with Psi-Judges; an ally of Mega-City One, has run exchange programs ^[70] Presented as institutionally Hindu in Dredd: Crusade, where they believe one of the gods is being incarnated.
• Calcutta – home of famed skysurfer Ghostman Patel in Oz.
• Bhopal – mentioned in Song of the Surfer.
• Kathmandu – shown in "Return of the Taxidermist", Judge Dredd Megazine 2.37–46. Ruled by a brutal military junta in the 2080s, then by reformist religious leader Guru Mahama by 2116; held the 2116 Mega-Olympics. The generals killed Mahama and retook control, but were overthrown in a popular uprising.
• Bangkok – as part of the New Thai Confederacy, ^[71] it used to be famous for its genetic engineering and its 'biot' slaves (genetically engineered humanoids with no civil rights), until sanctions were placed on it during the 2090s. ^[72] Suffered massive assault in Judgement Day (2114), almost falling; over the next two years, it had three regime changes, going from the Provisional Presidential Republic of Bangkok to the People's Democratic Republic of Bangkok in 2115 and then to the Totalitarian Hegemony of Bangkok in 2116. ^[73] In 2127, it was called Nu-Bangkok (Judge Dredd Megazine #235).
• Djakarta – Indonesia. Mutated coral reefs overran the Indonesian islands, until Hondo's Masamune Taoka invented a way to control and reshape the coral into 'city blocks'; the crippling debts prevented Djakarta from having a Judge system and the coral network, named "the Web", became a lawless hellhole. ^[74] Born again cannibals assumed high office during the Deros crisis (prog 701); Djarkarta later destroyed by nuclear strike on Judgement Day. The Web survived and is contained by a Hondo garrison.
• New Jakarta – mentioned in Judge Dredd Megazine #301, presumably a successor city to Djakarta.
• Beirut – mentioned in "Return of the Taxidermist", the host of the 2082 Mega-Olympics.
• Mecca - a caliphate, ruled by Caliph Kareem ibn Asser (a friend of Devlin Waugh's) in 2122. Surrounded by the djinn-infested nuclear desert of Rub al Khali ("the Empty Quarter" to westerners). ^[75]
• Turkestan Protectorates – around Turkmenistan, mentioned in The Medusa Seed . Occupied by the former Surrey New Raj, a faction that lost the Brit-Cit Civil War. Referred to again as "New Raj Protectorate" in Armitage story "Dumb Blond".
• Ankara – on 701 map.
• Samarkand – on 701 map. Devlin Waugh has visited several times; said in Vile Bodies to be ruled by a Shar.

Oceania

• Sydney–Melbourne Conurb – in southeastern Australia, frequently referred to as Oz; one of the more relaxed and peaceful Mega-Cities. Judges are stereotyped abroad as being undisciplined but are actually a highly efficient force that simply believes in getting along with its citizens; a recruitment poster says the Judges have no minimum age, cloning, or enforced celibacy, and "good hours and pay". (Being a comedy feature, the poster does also say "we'll take anyone", emphasises they're laidback, and refers to the "Grand Hall of Justice & Leisure Dome") ^[76] Held the legalised Supersurf 10 (which Oz's two-time champion Jug Mackenzie won) in "Oz"; Ayers Rock was the base of the Judda. Friendly to Mega-City One, helping against the Judda, but still gives refuge to Chopper. StigCorp blackmailed Chief Judge Bob in 2112, in order to get revenge on Chopper. ^[77] Targeted by Ula Danser some time before 2124 and had a Chaos Bug outbreak in 2134. ^[78]
• Perth Island – southwestern Australia, separated from the mainland after the Atomic War. ^[79]
• Okker – northeastern Australia, part of former Queensland (renamed Bananaland). ^[80]
• Taswegia – small settlement in northern Tasmania. ^[81]
• Brisbania – mentioned in prog 1389, where Chopper's ex-girlfriend Charlene moved.
• Solomon City – Solomon Islands, shown only in the 701 world map.
• Friendly City – Tonga, historically called "Friendly Islands"; shown only in the 701 world map.
• New Pacific City – New Zealand; shown only in the original 701 world map (partially obscured by "Sydney–Melbourne Conurb" text in the original print). It is later called Kiwi-Cit in Wetworks, (allegedly) the most crime-free state on the planet.

Africa

• Casablanca – Pan-African Judges map states the city moved east into Algeria to escape the Great African Dustbowl (Shamballa map drew it too far east) and had no formal law and was highly disorganised, outside of Algerian soldiers, until at least 2116. Said to be "as big as a Meg". Suffered a severe attack on Judgement Day, almost falling. ^[82] By 2118, a Casablancan Judge force was introduced in "Dredd: Darkside" via Psi-Judge Hassid; the Psi-Judges wear Sufi Islam garb (with Hassid being quite devout) and use kief for trances. ^[83]
• Luxor – in Egypt, a four-tiered city encased in a glass pyramid. The Judges are highly draconian: lawbreakers who aren't simply killed are imprisoned in a maze underneath the Sphinx, then executed after their sentence is over. The Judges pride themselves that this approach makes Luxor one of the safest megacities in the world. ^[84] The city and its Judges borrow the iconography and religious practices of Ancient Egypt (though most people worship the single god "Yad"). Senior Judges and the wealthy can be mummified. Had a cultural exchange with Mega-City One's Justice Department in 2115.
• Simba-City – central Africa, based on Gabon. Depicted in "Judge Dredd: Fetish" and judicial & military units part of Pan-African Judges; part of the Global Lunar Partnership Treaty and Hiroshima Accord.
• Zambia Metropolitan – mentioned in "Return of the Taxidermist".
• New Jerusalem – Ethiopia. First shown in Shamballa map. Pan-African map says this is the centre of Ethiope, encompassing Ethiopia and "disputed territories" of Somalia: the new Jewish homeland after the destruction of Israel.
• Siwa – Pan-Africa map. Small city-state on the Egyptian coast. Symbol of Pan-African Compromise and HQ of Pan-African Committee.
• Dar es Salaam – first mentioned in 701 map; said on Pan-Africa map to be a megacity-sized squatter camp and refugee city, on the coast of the Katanga Development Area.
• Timbuk2 – resting place of a Sirian "frog god" meant to monitor mankind, and headquarters of Lord Benjamin Hekt's plan to transform humanity into Sirians. The newest Mega-City in the world by 2121 but still policed by Pan-African Judges; local psi-teams were considered incompetent by Vatican operatives. ^[85]
• Umur – name mentioned on 701 map, located vaguely in North Africa; absent from Pan-African map
• New Nairobi – mentioned in The Final Cut

Africa also contains the Guinea, Congo, and Katanga Development Areas: large swathes of the continent open to private buyers, as a compromise after the Credit Wars. Microstates exist within.

Other

• Organisation of Extremist City States – mentioned in Judge Dredd Megazine 2.33
• Antarctic City – world map seems to place it in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Politically neutral, sometimes used as the home of crime lord's bank accounts or a place crims flee to. Administers the Antarctic Territories, with remote 'back to nature' settlements like Amundsen Outpost; Antarctic City Judges are sent to the territories as a form of discipline. ^[86] The Atomic War left it with a large jungle. ^[87] Held the 2120 Mega-Olympics. ^[88] (An Antarctic City with a surrounding jungle also appears in Strontium Dog .) Mega-Special No. 1 showed "Polar Judges", genetically modified to survive polar conditions and dealing with an "extremely hostile mining/prospecting community", and mentioned they police "Arctic Sector" (presumably an error); the design was only seen afterwards at the international summit in Judgement Day.
• Atlantis – Somewhere in the Black Atlantic, a midway point in a transatlantic tunnel; overseen jointly by Brit-Cit and Mega-City One. ^[89]
• Luna-1 – an extraterritorial city on the Moon. The city is protected by oxy-domes constructed of self-repairing cellu-foam, with oxygen originally supplied by the government-run Oxygen Board. Beyond that lay the unforgiving wastes of the ironically named Oxygen Desert. In 2099, it was still an expanding frontier, with new plots of land being opened to claimants; ^[90] it strongly resembled the Wild West in many respects. Years later, it was a more modernised and highly cosmopolitan city-state, with international influences through the Global Lunar Partnership Treaty; in practice, the foreign cities used this to jockey for influence and had covert military forces waiting for any collapse, as the Treaty allowed foreign states to lay claim to the moon if the Luna-1 Judges ever lost control. By 2126, investment was down and the colony had been in slow decline for years; East-Meg Two tried to further destabilise the colony so they could send troops to 'restore order'. In response, Dredd (acting as Marshall) dissolved the Treaty, privatised and broke up the Oxygen Board, and reinstated the six-month Marshal program. ^[91] The city did not handle this independence well: in 2127 it was run-down, suffering from crime, unemployment and corruption, and the oxygen companies had private monopolies ^[92] A criminal conspiracy in 2127 left the oxygen companies in economic ruin and they were bought out and merged by MC-1's Enormo Overdrive (who fired 99.99% of the human staff). ^[93]

The Judge system is in operation here. Due to the low gravity there, the Judges rode hover versions of Lawmaster bikes and wield specially designed Lawgiver guns; by the 2110s, they were using electric STUP (Scalar-Tesla Uniform Pulse) guns instead of projectiles. They are not answerable to any Earth jurisdiction but traditionally the three North American Mega-Cities did send units of Judges to its Justice Department, governing under the title "the Triumverate"; they also appointed a Judge-Marshal from their cities every six months. Until Dredd's appointment as Marshall in 2099, the Marshals were often killed and the Judge force struggled to control the city; the force become more powerful and in 2100, Dredd promoted Deputy-Chief Tex as a permanent Marshal. Foreign cities began sending their Judges under the Partnership Treaty (retroactively created in Eclipse to explain the foreign Judges in Darkside) but numbers declined after Judgement Day, as megacities felt they could no longer spare the numbers (except Judges they wanted rid of). ^[94] Personnel were sent from the Pan-Andes Conurb, East-Meg 2, Brit-Cit & Cal-Hab, Simba City, Hondo, Casablanca, Sydney-Melbourne Conurb, and Vatican City. After 2126, most of these foreign judges were recalled and the Luna-1 Justice Department was purely local, except for Mega-City One/Texas City Judge-Marshalls. Local Judges in the 2120s wore a navy blue uniform, and by 2127 were using wheeled bikes instead of hovers due to budget cuts.

• Puerto Luminae – another lunar colony, which refused to adopt the Judge system. The Mega-Cities instigated a trade embargo and isolated the colony, leading to social collapse. ^[95] Birthplace of Drago San. Developed a trade relationship with Brit-Cit.
• Shi Shen Territories – Sino-Cit owned lunar colonies, in the Sea of Vapours. First claimed in the 2050s, leased out to mining corporations; also contained a private estate for the "Global Psycho" killer Amanda Dreyer ^[96] until 2132. Has a lunar city, Zhang Heng, with a military garrison. ^[97]
• Mars – had seven cities in 2115, until the city Eden was destroyed by aliens. Eden was an independent, domed city with one million inhabitants; there was an elected council and the local judges were "bred from Earth stock". Guns and explosives were banned because they could damage the oxygen dome; the judges used electricity blasters. ^[98] One of the other six cities is Viking City (borrowed from ABC Warriors ) ^[99] and a second is Mars City. ^[100]

Nations

Several traditional nations have also been mentioned:

• Algeria – shown in Pan Africa map, mentioned as occupying the city until around 2116.
• The Bahamas – possesses its own Justice Department, Special Judicial Squad, and navy. Has a news service, Bahamas News Centre (BANC). Devlin Waugh is a frequent visitor. ^[101] When the underwater prison Aquatraz was overrun by vampires in 2114 and they began hunting locals & tourists, the Bahamas responded by creating the "Fangland" resort on Andros where tourists could hunt the vampires down.The vampires sacked the island years later in 2125.
• Bahrain - obliterated by the Herod entity in 2103 ^[102]
• Balkan Republik – mentioned in "Return of the Taxidermist", set during 2116.
• Belgium – obnoxious boy billionaire Richie Richer bought Belgium in 2117, becoming its president and petty tyrant. ^[103] Had been involved in the 2115 Olympics. (See also Euro-Cit's Belgian Sectors.)
• Canadia – future Canada, said to be under a pocket ice age in Wetworks . Unknown if it has a Judge force, but in Mandroid: Instrument of War, the law enforcement is shown to be weak and unable to prevent criminal settlements being set up on its border (instead hoping Mega-City One stops them). ^[104] Earlier strips referred to the "Canadian Wastes", where criminal gangs have set up sugar plantations to supply MC-1. Strips placed Uranium City in Alaska and maps of Mega-City One ^[105] show it absorbing the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, implying Canada has lost a lot of territory after the Atomic War.
• Cameroon – Pan Africa map
• Central African Republic – Pan Africa map
• Chad – Pan Africa map
• Colombia – refugees from Colombia are shown in Megazine 4.5–6; a coup in 2117 and drug lord purges in 2123 had caused thousands to flee.
• Greater Nigeria – Pan Africa map, covers Nigeria and Niger
• Guinea Confederacy – shown in Pan Africa map, covering the coastlines of the north-west from Guinea to Morocco. Great African Dustbowl restricts it to the coasts.
• Korea – mentioned in "Return of the Taxidermist".
• Kenya – mentioned in "Return of the Taxidermist".
• Laos – mentioned in Megazine No. 283 ("The Americans"); Brit-Cit had secret agents stationed there, a dangerous posting.
• Liberia – Pan Africa map
• Libya – Pan Africa map, said to be a secular Islamist state.
• Malagasy Republic – Pan Africa map, former Madagascar. Bombed during Atomic Wars, half-destroyed and fighting to save rainforests; isolationist.
• Monaco - one of Devlin Waugh's retreats. ^[106]
• Mongolian Free State – a lawless area, home of many criminal activities in exchange for kickbacks (such as the Bad Mother show). Possessed its own military forces and was run by a President in 2122 (Prog 2001). Mega-Special No. 1 presented it as being in the Sov-Block in 2110. East-Meg Two carried out the brutal Mongolian Clearances in 2125, killing millions; ^[107] in 2134, former East-Meg One agents were using Mongolia as a secret base. ^[108]
• The Philippines – part of the 2115 Mega-Olympics; mentioned as having a Justice Department in Wetworks ; victim of the InterDep conspiracy in 2117.
• Neo-Cuba – originally a Sov ally, it switched allegiance to Mega-City One in 2128 after they were tricked into believing the Sovs had backed a coup. ^[109] In the earlier "Return of the Taxidermist", set in 2116, the country was the Cuban Wastes.
• Nu-Taiwan – refugees flee it for Hong Tong
• Scandinavian Confederation – so far unseen, but they possess an embassy in Mega-City One (shown in a 2008 Judge Dredd story, Regrets). Swedish sex-meks (androids made for sexual use) are popular product in Mega-City One. Previously called the "Scandinavian Sub-State" in 2124. ^[110] Mega-Special No. 1 presented it as being in the Sov-Block in 2110.
• Sierra Leone – Pan Africa map
• Stani-States – mentioned in "Eclipse" as part of the Luna-1 Partnership Treaty, secretly waiting for a chance to seize lunar territory.
• Volta – Pan Africa map. Ivory Coast and Ghana.

References

1. 2000 AD Thrill Cast: 18 March 2015, 32:12 to 33:37
2. Prog 17
3. 2000 AD prog 42
4. prog 50
5. Prog 61
6. Origins, prog 1510
7. Origins, prog 1515
8. Origins, prog 1516
9. Dredd World Map, archived at 2000 AD Database
10. Megazine Pan-Africa map, reprinted at
11. Prog 61, start of "The Cursed Earth"
12. Map of North America in prog 81
13. 2000 AD prog 1515
14. Judge Dredd: The Apocalypse War
15. Judge Dredd Megazine #1.1: "Chopper: Earth, Wind, and Fire"
16. Judge Dredd Megazine #345
17. Prog 1822
18. Prog 1830: "The Forsaken part 1"
19. Post by writer Michael Carroll on 2000AD Online forums, "Prog 1822"
20. Judge Dredd Megazine #343
21. Judge Dredd Megazine #344-5
22. City of Courts trade paperback: "Notes by Douglas Wolk", first two pages
23. Mega City Two #1
24. Mega-City Two #3
25. 1. 3
26. Mega City Two #2
27. D'Blog of 'Israeli: Details, Details
28. Judge Dredd Megazine 2.01, "Texas City Sting"
29. Prog 539: "The Alabammy Blimps"
30. Prog 169
31. Prog 160
32. Megazine 2.82
33. Progs 79–80
34. Judge Dredd Megazine No. 216, Death: The Wilderness Days
35. Judge Dredd: Wetworks by Dave Stone
36. Harmony: Genocide, Megazine 3.01 to 3.06
37. Prog 1835
38. The Wally Squad, Prog 390-2
39. Judge Dredd: Eclipse book
40. Judge Dredd: Eclipse book
41. Judge Dredd Megazine #246-9, Regime Change
42. Judge Dredd Megazine 2.07
43. Judge Dredd Megazine 2.07
44. 2000AD Annual 1986, On The Waterfront
45. Red Razors Judge Dredd Megazine v1 13 pg 24
46. 2000 AD prog 1141
47. Red Razors Judge Dredd Megazine v1 12-13
48. Red Razors Judge Dredd Megazine v1 13 pg 24
49. 2000 AD prog 830
50. Red Razors Judge Dredd Megazine v1 12-13
51. Red Razors Judge Dredd Megazine v1 12-13
52. Prog #50: "The First Luna Olympics"
53. Megazine 2.18
54. Megazine #283, Judge Dredd: The Americans
55. 2000 AD prog 830: "Meet Jonni Kiss"
56. Megazine #330
57. Megazine #217: "Master Moves"
58. Prog 1808
59. 2000 AD prog 1150: "Devil Waugh: Sirius Rising"
60. "Dredd: Your Beating Heart", 2000 AD progs 1469 to 1474
61. 2000 AD prog 1184, Pussyfoot 5
62. 2000 AD prog 1289
63. 2000 AD prog 1778: "Day of Chaos: Eve of Destruction"
64. 2000 AD prog 1148
65. 2000 AD prog 1317
66. Judge Dredd Megazine 382- ongoing Havn
67. Judge Dredd Megazine#209-10
68. Eclipse , featuring Indo-Cit national Judge Auxiliary
69. "Reign of Frogs: Prologue", Prog 1158
70. Prog 842-53, "Inferno"
71. Judge Dredd Megazine No. 289, Armitage
72. Wetworks
73. Deathmasques and The Medusa Seed , both by Dave Stone
74. "Judge Dredd: Web", Judge Dredd Megazine 3.19
75. Judge Dredd Megazine 3.72: "A Mouthful of Dust"
76. Dredd Mega-Special #1: "Dredd's World"
77. Chopper: Earth, Wind, and Fire, Megazine 1.01-6
78. Prog 1783
79. Prog 560, "Oz Part 16"
80. Prog 560, "Oz Part 16"
81. Prog 560, "Oz Part 16"
82. Prog 798
83. Prog 1017
84. Prog 860
85. Devlin Waugh: Reign of Frogs Progs 1158 to 1167
86. Wynter: Cold Justice, Megazine 2.70
87. 2000 AD prog 660: "I'm Manny, Me Fly"
88. Megazine 2.46
89. 2000 AD prog 485
90. 2000 AD prog 47
91. Judge Dredd: Eclipse book
92. 2000 AD prog 1451-1452, Breathing Space
93. 2000 AD prog 1806
94. 2000 AD prog 1451
95. Judge Dredd: War Planet audio drama
96. Megazine 328
97. Megazine 330
98. Megazine 2.27–34, "Anderson: Childhood's End"
99. 2000 AD prog 1483
100. Megazine #217
101. Megazine 2.01 to 2.09
102. "Devlin Waugh: Chasing Herod"
103. Judge Dredd & Lobo
104. Prog 1559: "Mandroid – Instrument of War"
105. Prog 62: "Tweak's Story", the cover of prog 245, and prog 355: "Bob's Law"
106. Megazine 2.09
107. Judge Dredd Megazine #247: Regime Change Part 2
108. Prog 1765
109. Prog 1482
110. Megazine 4.15: "The Girlfriend"