DKC Atlas Forum

[Simion32]

Agreed, I'm with Qyz on this one. Why else would the story say... "She made her way to the southern part of DK Island and swam to the nearest mainland." ...it is undoubtedly referring to a main continent.

DK Island is not seen at the exact same angle each time. Each image is very close to being the same, but the one in K. Rool's Keep seems to be tilted slightly. Here is a picture for reference, which I discuss below.

Spoiler!

DKC2_Map_Reference.PNG (103.49 KiB) Viewed 25018 times

Krocodile Isle is seen in-game from the south. Using the maps in that picture as reference, I have observed that:

Since the back of DK Island is facing North, and Dixie went to the Southernmost part of DK Island (which is near Kongo Jungle) and swam to the NK, we can assume that the Northern Kremisphere is actually in front and to the left (southwest) of Krocodile Isle. So both DK Island and Krocodile Isle are farther North than the Northern Kremisphere... that's a really strange conclusion to come to, unless of course the Northern Kremisphere is the main continent in that hemisphere and they just named the continent after the hemisphere it lies in. This also explains why the NK isn't visible in the distance behind DKI.

Also, I vaguely remember something like "... a whole new continent! ..." being written in the Player's Guide. Unfortunately I can't find it right now, perhaps someone else that has it can check? If I'm right, this is further proof that the Northern Kremisphere is in fact a continent.

[Gnawzooka]

Ah, look at that, you can actually see the some of the back of DKI there, and it doesn't look like any part of the NK i've ever seen.

[Jomingo]

Screw it, I'm just gonna ask scribes.

[Tiptup Jr.]

Does anyone else find it odd that Dixie swam south to get to the Northern Kremisphere? It's like, she starts at the bottom of the map, but she was swimming south... and we are to assume that it's the northern half of the Kong-Kremling globe. Could someone take a shot at explaining this to me?

[The Kirby]

There are interesting bits of information that can be taken from the last scene in DKC2:

Spoiler!

Sinking Crocodile Isle.png (26.53 KiB) Viewed 24953 times

This image shows Crocodile Isle facing Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie. But DK Island is behind CI. So whatever island that the three kongs are watching CI sinking from can't be DK Island, and could possibly be the NK.

Also, I don't know what the reasoning is exactly that makes people think DK Island/CI face a particular direction, but by looking at the screenshot, we see the sun setting/rising. The sun doesn't rise/set north/south, but west/east (although, I'm not sure how being in another hemisphere would effect this, if we assume that the area where the Kongs live is in the real-world parallel of the southern hemisphere.)

This is a bit far-fetched, but I used to believe that Krematoa was a risen CI:

Spoiler!

Krematoa - Crocodile Isle.png (11.09 KiB) Viewed 24953 times

This is basically a DKC3 recreation of the final scene in DKC2. When CI is sinking from the KSP, everything above the trees in Gloomy Gulch is destroyed, leaving a sort of crater or volcanic-like top to the island.

If Krematoa was indeed CI, than that would mean that the NK is extremely large, and that CI (and DK Island) are in a sea that's surrounded by the NK mainland. So whichever direction you swam from either CI or DK Island would put you smack in the NK. It might also explain Krematoa being called the 'Lost World', because the interior of both Krematoa and CI have a 'Lost World', and Krematoa's lost world would have been drastically altered after the end-game events in DKC2. Also, K. Rool has the Knautilus there for some reason, so he must find it important one way or another.

Although, this theory doesn't explain where DK Island would be on the world map, which I didn't consider during the time I proposed this idea. Probably could shalk it up as fanwank.

[Kobble]

Ahh, Donkey Kong Country geographics. An interesting subject.

Donkey Kong Island is really large, that's for sure. The size of a large country. Its vertical height is impressive. The same can be said for Crocodile Isle. On a side note, I think Crocodile Isle is gloomy and unkept because the Kremlings don't know how to treat the natural world, as we can see from them building factories in DKC and destroying natural habitat in DKC3.

The Northern Kremisphere is continent size. I believe it is the largest connecting land of the DK Isles (which consists of Timber's Island, DK Island, Banana Fairy Island, Sun Sun Islands, Mechanical Crocodile Isle, what was once Crocodile Isle, and maybe a few more land masses we haven't seen yet). I don't think it's the main governing body, however. I think Donkey Kong Island is, hence why the islands are called DK Isles. I believe most of the parts of the NK we didn't see in DKC3, we saw in DKL3. Same think for DK Island. The parts we didn't see in DKC, we saw in DKL. All these islands are particularly close to eachother, being swimming distance for Kongs. Though Kongs seem to have gills, seeing as how they can spend an infinite amount of time underwater.

I'm sure Kongs and Kremlings coexist on most of these islands, but don't have a friendly relationship. After all, a couple of Kongs are responsible for the complete destruction of their homeland, twice. Which most likely ended the lives of quite a few Kremlings. While they don't get along, I don't think their relationship is completely violent. This is supported by a few Mario sports titles... where they either watch the sporting events (Mario Power Tennis) and can even play on the same team as the Kongs (Mario Sluggers, Super Mario Strikers, Mario Strikers Charged). Not to mention, Wrinkly Kong did have a business going on Crocodile Island, where she tried to educate some Kremlings. According to her, Kremlings were very rowdy in class. Even King K. Rool was her student (she says if you see Kaptain K. Rool, tell him to turn his homework), despite him kidnapping her son and in the middle of a diabolical plan. So I don't see the problem with them sharing a homeland.

[The Guy]

I know why Dixie swam south to the Northern Kremisphere.

From the area where Dixie started swimming to the NK, she was going NORTH, yet it wouldn't look like it...

[Scraps69]

What bothers me most about this discussion is the lack of argument re the weather. DK island is supposed to be in tropical climate which should place it generally smack bang in the middle of the earth. However, I can also see ice caps on top of DK island as well as on top of Crocodile Island. Mount Kilamanjaro (that high mountain in Kenya) is the highest mountain in africa that is about the middle of the earth (note I'm not looking at a map by the way) that can have ice/snow on it's peak. So, we'll have to move DK island up or down the equator to be a tropical climate but still be capable of ice on peaks (because I believe that the DK peaks are not as high as that of Mount Kilamanjaro).

What is also important to note is that the Northern Kremisphere imitates North American/North European/Candian vegetation features as well as fauna such as bears. This is a non-tropical climate after all. I think it's safe to use a cuba (and perhaps carribbean (don't forget that there were pirates in the carribbean which was a main theme in DKC2 and the pirate ship of K. Rool)) and USA analogy to serve our purposes as to the location of the DK island and the Northern Kremisphere.

However, we have an issue with the name 'Northern Kremisphere', and the the jumping from a cliff from the bottom left (indicating that Dixie was travalleing North and continues to travel north throughout DKC3), and it gets very icy at the northern part of the DKC3 overworld (i forgot what the level is called) versus the travelling from the south of Donkey Kong Island towards the south. (3 (and other factors) vs 1).

There are two propositions. The first is the rejection proposition and the second is my alternative correct proposition.

My first proposition is that the mainland could loop around the island, so that dixie lands at the 'tail' of the mainland (think if there was an island in the middle of the gulf of mexico and if dixie swam south, hit the mainland of mexico and then walked North-Westerly). However this means that a significant proportion of Dixie's adventure is unaccounted for which is not in the spirit of the game as it is indicated (from the manual which I'm about to say is wrong though) that Dixie swam from the island to the mainland and then that's where the adventure begins.

The second proposition is that I propose that the manual made a mistake and that the error should be regarded as non-canon. I propose that whoever wrote the manual should have written "northern most part of DK island and swam...". or "Dixie Kong landed at the southern most part of the Northern Kremisphere". Or more officially "She made her way to the southern part of the Northern Kremisphere by swimming there".

The manual is the only inconsistency in the game and therefore cannot be regarded seriously. If you were to let someone play the game just based on appearances alone, they would easily identify that the Northern Kremisphere (even if you didn't tell them the name) is North of DK island. If Dixie had travelled from the south of DK island to the northern kremisphere - I'd say that DK island would look like an icicle akin to the Arctic pole. I think Rareware made an error in the print but left it there as part of their 'rareware humour' to confuse the hell out of DKC fans or just didn't notice at all and havn't owned up to that error.

Once you accept this proposition, I think you will find it easier to accept the location of Donkey Kong island as well as the Northern Kremisphere.

[WesternTanager794]

Honestly, I always assumed that the Northern Kremispheres were on the far side of DK Island that we never see. I find it unlikely that Krematoa is Crocodile Isle. But I'm confused on where the kongs are when Crocodile Isle sinks. I have established (or at least guessed) that the jungle levels in DKC3 are probably actually temperate rainforests. I think Rareware was just not consistent with their art, so we have cases of watching Crocodile Isle sink from the front. But I could just assume that it has better aesthetics than watching it sink from the back. I originally thought it looked like they were on the face of DK Island, but geographically, it doesn't make sense. Besides, it's a sheer cliff. The northern kremispheres, when I originally played DKC3, I assumed they were a seperate landmass and that K.rool went there and formed his empire. Also, the banana fairy island potentially is invisible except at a certain part of the year (my idea). Or even a special day, like the vernal equinox. I would prefer to believe that Northern Kremispheres is part of DK Island, but the evidence does not support that. I will put more thought into this and potentially Diddy and DK swam to the islands. So maybe it is not connected to DK Island but is in close proximity. Perhaps it could even be confused for being part of it. The DK Isles in DK64 were a bold venture considering the fact that DKC and DKC2 well mapped it out, but perhaps something triggered the rising of these previously hidden islands. I am only playing DK64 now (along with Banjo-Kazooie, great game) so I am definitely not an expert in DK64 storyline or theory or anything else. I haven't even freed Diddy yet! There will probably be a sequel to this post, potentially even longer. Coming soon!