Mt. Makapu


 * This article is for the location. For the village, see Makapu Village.

Mt. Makapu is a large mountain located near the northwestern coast of the Earth Kingdom. An active volcano, its eruption in 100 ASC was prevented from causing great damage to Makapu Village by Team Avatar and the village's residents.

History
Because the volcano was active, the villagers of Makapu Village once had an annual tradition of going up the volcano to check the lava level. However, once Aunt Wu, the fortuneteller, moved to the village, the tradition was discontinued in favor of her predictions.

When Team Avatar came to the village, Aunt Wu predicted that the village would not be destroyed by the volcano, and the villagers believed her despite Team Avatar's confirmation that it was on the brink of eruption. The volcano did erupt, but its lava was stopped, thanks to the interference of Team Avatar and the villagers, before it reached the village. Since the town was not destroyed just as Aunt Wu had predicted, the villagers believed in Aunt Wu's fortune telling all the more, much to the displeasure and frustration of Sokka.

Geography
Mount Makapu is located in the coastal mountain range of the northwestern Earth Kingdom, and is notable for its very symmetric, blunted cone. The base of the mountain is blanketed by dense, misty pine forests, which stop about halfway up the mountain. Very few plants grow near the summit; however, the combination of moisture from the sea and the heat produced in the heart of the mountain make the volcano's crater one of the only known locations where the rare panda lily grows.

Because the volcanic soil in the area is so rich, Mt. Makapu and its foothills are dotted with several small farming villages, including Makapu Village. At the base of the mountain, behind Makapu Village, is a moon gate which marks the entrance to the path up the volcano. The road leading to the gate is lined with two-faced stone totems representing the four elements. Each statue is carved with the elemental symbol and a relevant animal: fish for water, the badger for earth, the dragon for fire and the owl for air.

Trivia

 * Mount Makapu bears resemblance to Mount Fuji.
 * The sculptures lining the path to Mt. Makapu resemble the two-faced Shinto statues seen at the beginning of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.