Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh is a highly-populated Inner Colony, renowned among human space for its status as a tax haven and pleasure world.

Government and politics
Although Gilgamesh is represented in the United Earth Government via a loose coalition government, in practice this has very little power and rampant corruption prevents them from acting. Instead, the closest it has to a unified government is in the hands of a corporate council which represents the businesses that run the various enterprises on the colony. In fact, planet-wide regulations are not usually enforced, with each city acting like an independent polity, complete with their own laws enforced by private security firms. Official law-enforcement are unable to counter the whims of such organizations, and are generally seen as powerless and weak. Outside of these, in the large slums and tent-cities established by refugees, criminal elements are free to reign unchecked. Only those that attempt to challenge the status quo, or are felt to bring unwanted attention from the UEG or some higher authority, are usually opposed.

The lack of power in their government means that the population are rarely given the social support they need, and this has turned them towards the various banks and financial establishments that dot the planet. This means that outside of the privileged tycoons, almost everyone who lives on Gilgamesh live in debt to some extent, and this has allowed many of them to be exploited in questionable professions.

Industry
Gilgamesh hosts a massive tourism industry, which is primarily drawn to the colony because of its wide variety of shopping centers, casinos, and large brothels. Items and services considered illegal elsewhere are readily traded here, and special economic exceptions dating back to the 2390s ensures that many of these can be bought at far lower prices than anywhere else in Human Space. This has also given rise to unregulated research into cybernetics and biology, particularly in the orbital habitats, although the surface also boasts a few facilities.

Some state-sanctioned industry is present on Gilgamesh, which have been established by the UNSC in an effort to keep unemployment numbers to a minimum as well as replace depleting numbers of manufacturing centers lost to the Covenant.

Geography
The most iconic imagery of Gilgamesh are the architecture of the cities, which are heavily influenced by Mesopotamian design cues. These are characterized by tall skyscrapers that are flanked by ziggurat-style casinos and hotels. Originating in a single city as part of a marketing strategy, this scheme has spread to become dominant the look of the planet's major population centers, although a small number of towns stand out by basing their structures on other ancient cultures. The overall feeling is to inspire a sense of opulence among tourists. The planet is also known for its floodplains and low-lying valleys where water collects at certain times of the year, so these cities are also designed to withstand the phenomenon. This has caused issues with establishing underground infrastructure, as the soil and rock is so water-clogged that these are prone to collapsing if not properly reinforced. In addition, the first refugee camps built during the Human-Covenant War also had to be abandoned periodically, as the equatorial wet and dry seasons made them impossible to live in without being submersed.