System:	Tatoo		Population:	5,000 to 10,000 Settlers
Terrain:	Desert		Imports:	Mining / Industrial Equipment
Species:	Settlers, Jawas, Sand People		Exports:	Tatooine Ore
Language:	Basic, Jawa

Tatooine is a very old world. The surface is comprised of near-endless dune seas, interrupted only by rock-walled canyons carved by oceans so long departed that no memory of the planet living or recorded can say when they disappeared. There are two sentient species native to Tatooine: Sand People and Jawas. The more dominant of the two, the Sand People, is a race of nomadic warrior tribes that have rejected any attempt at trade or even communication, possessing a single-minded hostility towards any and all outsiders. The Jawas, by contrast, are diminutive scavengers that are more interested in trade than combat. Their language is painfully hard to understand, however, and their culture remains enigmatic.

Tatooine has not been properly documented by the Republic because it has yet to be officially deemed viable for colonization, or even declared habitable. This has not stopped various private companies from expressing an interest in the world --orbital scans reveal substantial subterranean ore deposits-- but such activity is often made away from public record. The outpost of Anchorhead, run by Czerka Corporation, is the only settlement currently inhabited, and it appears to be slowly dying. Officers are tightlipped about why the operation is failing, but rumor is beginning to circulate that Tatooine ore is substandard in some way. The company has denied this, but the strength of that denial has given the rumors credibility.

It is likely that Czerka Corporation will eventually abandon their stake in Tatooine, but for now, five to ten thousand settlers attempt to make a living on the surface and beneath. Moisture vaporators could allow independent colonies to survive, but nothing outside of Anchorhead lasts for long. People rarely travel without armed escort, and not just because of Sand People attacks. The tracks of huge desert predators have also been found near decimated Bantha herds, and many people that go exploring simply don't return. A resident Hutt has funded a small swoop track, but the planet must be dangerous indeed for that to be considered safe entertainment. There is little of interest on Tatooine for the casual traveler. That may change if local hyperspace routes prove useful, but for now, it is an inhospitable place best avoided.