Location: Vulcan system, Vulcanis sector, Beta Quadrant

Dominant Species: Vulcans

Capital: ShiKahr

Gravity: 1.4 G

Vulcan is a Class M planet in the Vulcan system and home world of the humanoid Vulcans, a founding member of the United Federation of Planets. The planet is located about 16 light years from Earth, in the Vulcan Sector.

Vulcan's orbital period (year) is 266.4 standard days.

Vulcan is an arid world, known for its many deserts such as the Forge. Its wildlife includes Sehlats, large cats that many Vulcan children keep as pets. In orbit of Vulcan are several Starfleet facilities, including a space station and drydocks.

Astrometrics
Vulcan orbits 40 Eridani A, known as Nevasa to the Vulcans, the primary orange K class star in the trinary Vulcan system. The other two stars in the system, 40 Eridani B and C, blue and red dwarfs respectively, co-orbited the A star at some distance and are not immediately visible in the Vulcan sky.

Environment
Vulcan has a harsh, desert planet with barely a quarter of its surface area containing water. It possesses a thin atmosphere and high gravity (1.4 G). Furthermore, solar radiation is noted to be much higher when compared to other M-class planets such as Earth.

Vulcan has three primary continents called Na'nam, Han-shir and Xir'tan. The first are enormous land masses that were divided into various provinces whilst the third was an island somewhat larger than the Earth continent of Australia. Due to the strong tidal forces brought about by the planet's interaction with T'Khut Vulcan was highly volcanically active. This generates a number of impressive lava spectacles, such as the Fire Plains. Around four to five billion years ago, Vulcan was a highly geologically active environment.

Furthermore, there are frequent energy discharges in the air that shimmered in the red sky in a region near the Gateway where there was an area that had a distorted magnetic field as a result of Vulcan's ancient atomic wars. This serves as a form of third magnetic pole that disrupted most electrical as well as transtator currents in the region that are instead absorbed energy leak out into the wind. This is responsible for creating the spectacular lightning displays that are often seen in the clouds of sand. Vulcan's geology and desert environment produce starkly up-thrust craggy and inhospitable mountains, with jagged and steep formations cut out by wind swept sand.

Vulcan maintains the oxygen in its atmosphere by deriving phytoplankton from its oceans, which existed as microscopic organisms that make up 90% of all planetary oxygenation processes, including those of Earth. Despite being a desert planet and not having a suitable source of oxygen in viable plant-life throughout most of their year, there is a sufficient amount of oxygenation occurring within the environment from the microbic water.

History
Though a dry desert occupied 96% of the planet's surface by the 23rd century, fossil records indicated that early Vulcan possessed 90% water along with a few islands with nothing but a hot sea present on the planet. Thousands of years later, when the proto-Vulcans developed and began to form tribes, 40 Eridani A erupt a massive solar flare that scorched the planet's surface; resulting in many native creatures dying, those which survived taking shelter in caves or other safe places on the opposite end of the planet.

Early in the Dominion War, Benjamin Sisko expressed his concerns to Admiral Zach Warner that the Dominion would eventually be able to invade Vulcan if Starfleet kept up its defense posture. The routes between Vulcan and Earth and Alpha Centauri were critical to the Federation. The concerns for Vulcan lasted throughout the year, with fighting near the Vulcan border. Later, the fall of Betazed made the possibility of an invasion of Vulcan very likely.

Geography
Continents and provinces
Han-shir
Kel Province
Na'nam
Gol
Khomi
Kir
Raal
Shi'al
Tat'Sahr
Xir'tan

Bodies of water
Great T'Kala Sea
Lake Yuron
Strait of Ha-zen
Thanar Sea
Voroth Sea

Mountains and volcanos
Llangon Mountains
Mount P'Ta
Mount Tarhana
Mountains of Gol Mount Seleya
T'Raan
T'Regar
T'Riah

Other regions
Caves of Kolinar
Cheleb-khor
Fire Plains
Go'an
Ishaya plain
Nal'shin
Na'Ree
Osana caverns
Raal
Shival flats
T'Ralor
Vulcan's Forge
Plain of Blood
Womb of Fire
Vuldi Gorge

Vulcan settlements
Typically, there are no lost civilizations on the planet as new cities were always integrated into the older ones which meant that ruins remained. In addition, the planet's manufacturing and heavy industry has, for centuries, been conducted in the asteroid belt within the system. The only industry that was allowed on the surface were those that neither despoiled the environment nor disturbed its tranquility such as music crafting.

Cities
AraKahr
Da'kum'ulcha
Da'Leb
Fort Aba'kur
Jaleyi
Khir Ahl
Kir
K'Lan-ne
Kwil'Inor
Naweeth City
Rh'Iahr
SanaiKahr
ShanaiKahr
ShiGral
Shi'Kahr
T'lingShar
T'Paal
Ta'Vistar
Vulcana Regar
Vulcinis

Other locations

Natural History
The heat of Vulcan's summer often kills off most vegetation, with plant life only flourishing once the rains come. In times of drought, out in the desert carnivorous plants are able to survive by catching any animal weakened by thirst.

Flora
Adun cactus
Ches'lintak
Cholla
Cir-cen
D'mallu
Favinit
G'teth
Gal-en-du'un
Gesper
Induku tree
Isuke bush
Kal'ta
Karanji
Kylin'the
Pel-tar'uk
S'gagerat
Sir-soss'im
Tir-nuk
Vulcan palm tree
Death Star
Wahmlat

Fauna
Aylak
Ch'kariya
Firebird
K'karee
Krovill
Lanka-gar
Le-matya
Mah-tor-pahlah
Myrmidex
Sandworm
Sand viper
Sehlat
Shatarr
Shavokh
Sundweller
Tcha'besheh
Valit
Vai-sehlat

History
As early as the mid-20th century, the planet Vulcan had contact with the Tellarites and, covertly, with Humans. By the late 21st or early 22nd century, Vulcans had established contact with the Humans, Cardassians, Klingons, Tholians and Trill, among others.

In 2152, there were over a million physicians on Vulcan.

During the 22nd century, the death penalty was still common practice in Vulcan courts for a small number of offenses, including treason.

By the mid-22nd century, Vulcan had a history of conflict with Andoria, controlled the Coridan government, and had exchanged ambassadors with Earth and Qo'noS, among others. After the Babel Crisis, Vulcan became a founding member of the Coalition of Planets before co-founding the Federation in 2161.

Tobin Dax met Iloja of Prim during the Cardassian's exile on Vulcan.

During the early months of the Dominion War, the Fifth Fleet was fighting the Dominion near Vulcan.

In 2374, Ishka was given special dispensation by Grand Nagus Zek to leave Ferenginar for Vulcan, to have her ears raised. On her way back, she was captured by the Dominion. Later that same year, Betazed fell to the Dominion, and Major Kira noted that they were now in a position to threaten Vulcan. Shortly thereafter, Kira confirmed that the Dominion had been building up their forces on Betazed and that they would be able to launch an attack on Vulcan.