History Main / CityOnTheWater

* ''[[VideoGame/TearsToTiara2 Tears to Tiara 2]]'' has Tartetos, an AdvancedAncientAcropolis that combines aspects of {{Atlantis}} and [[{{UsefulNotes/Pre-ColumbianCivilizations}} Tenochtitlan]].

* Atlantis, from ''StargateAtlantis'' (in addition to being capable of becoming an UnderwaterCity should the need arise).

* ''VideoGame/Syndicate'' (2012) has the city of La Ballena, which is owned by the Caymen Global syndicate.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Gor}} Raiders of Gor]]'' we meet the Caste of Rencers, who live in a delta connecting a great river and the sea, gathering rence[[hottip:*:a multi-purpose plant used for making paper, rope, utensils, cloth, and food]] for trade. They live in small villages built on floating rafts of rence. As the rence rots away underwater they weave new layers on top.

* Venice, although it's not in open sea, is probably the better known example we have today.

* ''[[Manga/GhostInTheShell Ghost in the Shell 2]]'' (the manga) features Poseidon Industrial's artificial island city, where Motoko Aramaki's real body is typically stored.

* ''[[Manga/GhostInTheShell Ghost in the Shell 2]]'' (the manga) features Poseidon Industrial's artificial island city, where Motoko "Aramaki's" real body is typically stored.

* DavidDrake's ''TheLordOfTheIsles'' series includes a vignette in the first book in which Sharina, Nonus, and some useless nobles spend a few days on the Houseboats of the Sea People. They spend their entire lives at sea and live in large structures crafted largely from whale.

* ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' repeatedly mentions military installations called "floating fortresses" that are apparently under construction, but never explains what they are.

* DavidBrin's novel ''Literature/{{Existence}}'' has artificial islands popping up as sea levels rise. However most of them are resorts for the super-rich or havens for questionably legal biotech experiments. China has a "shoresteading" program for desperate people to try and make the upper levels of flooded mansions in what used to be Shanghai liveable.
* Gordon R Dickson's ''Home From the Shore''
* NealStephenson's ''Literature/SnowCrash'' has "Rife's Raft", a gigantic, cobbled-together collection of floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean inhabited by huge numbers of refugees, mostly from Asia.

Related to UnderwaterCity, which is when the colony is under the water instead of on it.

* The ''Undersea Trilogy'' by FrederikPohl and Jack Williamson was one of the first in-depth explorations of the undersea domed city concept.

* A major gameplay element of ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', as any faction can create sea based settlements as well as the standard land based ones, in contrast to the {{Civilization}} series where only land based cities are permitted. The Nautilus Pirates faction starts the game with such a settlement and can create an ocean empire faster than the others.

* The conclusion of the Water Seven / Enies Lobby arc in ''Manga/OnePiece'' shows turning the Venice-style city of Water Seven into this is mayor and shipwright Iceburg's next big project.

* In a {{flashforward}} episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Homer lives in an undersea apartment.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Gor}} Raiders of Gor]]'' we meet the Caste of Rencers, who live in a delta connecting a great river and the sea, gathering rence[[hottip:note:a multi-purpose plant used for making paper, rope, utensils, cloth, and food]] for trade. They live in small villages built on floating rafts of rence. As the rence rots away underwater they weave new layers on top.

[[AC: Anime/Manga]]
* ''GhostInTheShell 2'' (the manga) features Poseidon Industrial's artificial island city, where Motoko "Aramaki's" real body is typically stored.

[[AC: Film]]
* In ''{{Waterworld}}'', since all known land has been covered by water most people live in "atolls" made from scrap metal. As well as traders who live on boats and the "smokers" who are based on the Exxon Valdez.
* In ''StarWars'', the populace of the water-world Mon Calamari live in giant floating cities. One half is above water for the Mon Cals and air-breathing visitors, one half underwater and flooded for the Quarren.

[[AC: Literature]]

* NealStephenson's ''SnowCrash'' has "Rife's Raft", a gigantic, cobbled-together collection of floating garbage in the Pacific Ocean inhabited by huge numbers of refugees, mostly from Asia.
* DavidDrake's TheLordOfTheIsles series includes a vignette in the first book in which Sharina, Nonus, and some useless nobles spend a few days on the Houseboats of the Sea People. They spend their entire lives at sea and live in large structures crafted largely from whale.
* NineteenEightyFour repeatedly mentions military installations called "floating fortresses" that are apparently under construction, but never explains what they are.
* In ''Raiders of {{Gor}}'' we meet the Caste of Rencers, who live in a delta connecting a great river and the sea, gathering rence[[labelnote:a multi-purpose plant used for making paper, rope, utensils, cloth, and food]] for trade. They live in small villages built on floating rafts of rence. As the rence rots away underwater they weave new layers on top.
* The Skeezers in [[Literature/LandOfOz ''Glinda of Oz'']] live in a [[DomedHometown city]] suspended over the middle of a lake. In times of danger they can magically submerge the entire city for protection, turning it into an UnderwaterCity.

* Classic ''{{Traveller}}'' supplement ''The Traveller Adventure''. The planet Heguz is an [[SingleBiomePlanet Ocean Planet]]. It has had two colonies, both set up on large floating bases. Both colonies mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

* A major gameplay element of ''SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'', as any faction can create sea based settlements as well as the standard land based ones, in contrast to the {{Civilization}} series where only land based cities are permitted. The Nautilus Pirates faction starts the game with such a settlement and can create an ocean empire faster than the others.
* Frequent in [[RealTimeStrategy RTS]] games that involve naval combat (most ''CommandAndConquer'' titles, for example): The ship-building structures are constructed directly at sea.
** Then there's the Black Tortoise from ''CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', a huge floating fortress.

* In ''FinalFantasyX'', during the Shoopuf ride you learn about the city built over the ocean, which was built just because it could be. Needless to say, it got destroyed by Sin and sank to the bottom.
* ''ResidentEvilRevelations'': Terragrigia

[[AC: Webcomics]]

[[AC: Real Life]]

Examples:

* ''GhostInTheShell 2'' (the manga) features Poseidon Industrial's artificial island city, where Motoko "Aramaki's" real body is typically located.
** The second film has an android producing corporation that bases their factory on a ship [[spoiler: because they're dubbing the ghosts of young girls into their robots]]

* In ''{{Waterworld}}'' since all known land has been covered by water most people live in "atolls" made from scrap metal. As well as traders who live on boats and the "smokers" who are based on the Exxon Valdez.
* In StarWars, the populace of the water-world Mon Calamari live in giant floating cities. One half is above water for the Mon Cals and air-breathing visitors, one half underwater and flooded for the Quarren.

* The Skeezers in [[Literature/LandOfOz ''Glinda of Oz'']] live in a [[DomedHometown city]] suspended the middle of a lake. In times of danger they can magically submerge the entire city for protection, turning it into an UnderwaterCity.

* Frequent in [[RealTimeStrategy RTS]] games that involve naval combat (most CommandAndConquer titles, for example): the ship-building structures are constructed directly at sea.

In Final Fantasy X, during the Shoopuf ride you learn about the city built over the ocean, which was built just because it could be. Needless to say, it got destroyed by Sin and sank to the bottom.

* In a {{flashforward}} episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' Homer lives in an undersea apartment.

* Frequently seen in nations with sea access and not enough space for new buildings (Japan, Singapore... etc.) as well as countries with an influx of wealthy tourists and investors (Dubai, Bahrain...).