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(Note: This section is pure speculation. We'll see how much has to be changed when the next two movies hit theaters. --Dan)

Zion is the name given to the last human city. It exists only because it is hidden from the machine, deep within the Earth's crust. Secrecy is its best, and only, defense. The tunnels outside Zion have been carefully sculpted to deceive Sentinels and other sensor technology. Unless one knows exactly where one is going, and has the proper identification codes, one could search forever and still not find it.

The city itself is highly adapted to subterranean life. Tunnels connect most buildings within the rock face, and building exteriors are built into the existing stone formations. Artificial light is tightly controlled to make sure none leaks out into the surrounding area. Miniaturization and ornamentation are luxuries mankind no longer has time for, so most structures are little more than mammoth collections of piping and wire. Space is in short supply, so living conditions are very crowded. Zion's residents have very narrow ideas of "personal space."

Though the environment may be squalid, the spirit of the place is not. The Resistance dominates decision-making in Zion, but it is more a populist movement than a military government. Zion's leaders are charismatic, passionate men and women who would gladly give their lives for The Cause! The people follow them by choice, not by law. However, everyone realizes that even the smallest division among their own ranks could spell extinction, so dissenters are often quieted by their peers. Those who will not cooperate are often exiled.

Zion's Mainframe

The Zion mainframe is the computer system that runs Zion's public works: communications, sanitation, security, etc. It is not completely cut off from the surface and, in fact, can interface with the Matrix itself. All Agents have standing orders to pursue any and all leads concerning the mainframe's remote access codes. If the machines ever gained access to Zion, they could cause catastrophic failures of both security and life support. Without Zion as a supply and coordination center, the Resistance would be destroyed. Soon after, the human race would be no more.