Columbia

Columbia is a floating city in the sky and the location of BioShock Infinite's setting.

History
Constructed by the American government as "Project Icarus" and originally conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia was dispatched to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public. The buildings were constructed on giant reactors and self-sustaining balloons to make the city literally fly over the clouds. But what began as a brand new endeavor of hope turned drastically wrong as the city, after a strange incident, lost all control and soon disappeared for a decade into the clouds to whereabouts unknown.

However, in 1912, former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt is sent to locate the city and liberate a young woman named Elizabeth who had been captive within the city for 15 years.

Trivia

 * The name Columbia refers to the female personification of the United States used in various patriotic symbolism in the 19th century.


 * The name of the project responsible for the birth of Columbia is a reference to the Greek myth of Icarus: Son of the craftsman Daedalus, he was imprisoned along with his father in a tower in Crete. Using wax, thread and bird feathers, the two managed to build wings so that they could fly out of their prison. Before attempting the escape, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, as the intense heat would melt the wax holding the feathers on his wings. Ignoring his advice, Icarus soared upwards as far as he could. His wings fell apart and he plummeted to his death into the sea.