Balamb

Balamb is a location in Final Fantasy VIII. It is a small port town located on the independent island of Balamb, just north of Balamb Garden. It is mainly accessed by boats, although it is also connected to the Galbadian continent by underwater train. The town itself is surrounded by Balamb Island's varied landscapes, including sandy beaches, thick forests, and mountainous regions. It is also the hometown of Zell Dincht.

History
The small island town was originally founded by those in pursuit of a rare type of fish named, aptly, the Balamb Fish. Considered a delicacy, the Balamb Fish attracted fishermen and seafood chefs to the area, and soon a small community began to take root. The town's naturally large harbor was the perfect home base for fleets of fishing vessels, as well as commercial passenger ships. Before long, word spread among Galbadians about Balamb's beautiful coastline and refreshing atmosphere, as well as its top-notch food. As a result, Balamb blossomed into a resort destination, hosting tourists from all over Galbadia. An underwater railway was built to aid the transport of both people and supplies, and the elegant Balamb Hotel was built to house vacationers and serve the best Balamb Fish dishes the town had to offer. Small souvenir shops and other tourist-related stores also sprung up around town, and Balamb thrived as a sparsely-populated, politically neutral island nation.

Balamb's dominance on the island was diminished, however, when twelve years before the start of the game, Balamb Garden, a training center for the elite military force, SeeD, was erected just outside of town. Although being the only other major population center on the island, Balamb's residents and Garden students did not often cross paths, and the townspeople took little notice of its large neighbor. Because of its isolated location, Balamb residents often reveled in their ability to ignore military conflicts going on in the rest of the world, and to some extent, resented that the Garden's presence served as a reminder of those problems. However, the townspeople did attach a great deal of respect to those who chose to attend the Garden, which they saw as a school for the gifted.

Balamb's role as a haven for peaceful existence was shattered, however, during Sorceress Edea's rule of Galbadia. Edea, under the control of the evil Sorceress Ultimecia, ordered Galbadian troops to seize the town and hold its residents hostage while they searched for a young woman named Ellone. The military overran the Balamb Hotel, barring the owners from entering the town and using it to house their own troops. The Galbadians also cut off supply lines, diverting all food and other shipments directly to troops at the hotel, denying local shops and people access to necessary items. The military's leaders threatened to burn the town to the group if anyone protested their actions or attempted to subvert their authority.

Luckily, a group of SeeD forces from Balamb Garden, led by Squall Leonhart, infiltrated the town by claiming to have information which could lead to Ellone's capture. Once inside, Squall, along with Balamb native Zell, found and defeated both the Galbadian Commander, Fujin, and the Galbadian Captain, Raijin. With their leaders in retreat and no sign of Ellone anywhere, the Galbadian troops withdrew from Balamb.

Following the defeat of Sorceress Ultimecia, life in Balamb returned to normal. It remains a destination for food fishing, and low-key vacationing. Balamb is also a common place for couples to settle following their retirement.

People Associated With Balamb

 * Zell Dincht, grew up downtown.
 * Ma Dincht, local resident, mother of Zell.
 * Queen of Cards, often found outside the train station
 * Big Bad Rascal, local resident, friend of Zell
 * Fujin, Galbadian Commander during occupation
 * Raijin, Galbadian Captain during occupation

Trivia
During the beta-testing of Final Fantasy IX, developers used a fully-modeled Balamb to test town features.