Tiber river

"Ground Zero. This is where it all began. It's a war zone out there - we should tread carefully, lest we draw unwanted attention."

- Shadow

The Tiber (Italian Tevere, Latin Tiberis) was the third-longest river in Italy. The river has achieved lasting fame as the main watercourse of the city of Rome, founded on its eastern banks.

In the Tiberium Universe, the Tiber river was the location of the first Tiberium meteorite impact. The area of the impact has since been referred to as Ground Zero.

Storyline summary
It was near this river that the first Tiberium meteorite hit and the first field appeared, destroying an olive plantation. It is unclear who discovered the crystal first, as the claims were put forward by both Kane and Ignatio Mobius.

Regardless, the Tiberium spread unnoticed and eventually managed to overrun central Italy, turning it into a devastated Red Zone. Gigantic Tiberium Glaciers occupy the site of Rome nowadays, with most of the city obliterated by the spread of Tiberium. The air is saturated with Tiberium vapour and has a greenish hue. The sky is overcast with Tiberium gas clouds. The blue Tiberium also infested and turned the river into a near-unlimited blue Tiberium field. As of 2047, Ground Zero, named in memory of the first Tiberium impact, is believed to be the worst Red Zone on the planet.

No human settlements, except for a few Mutant Hovels exist in this area, though the high Tiberium concentrations led to the Scrin constructing their Relay Node where the Tiberian Age began. Nod, GDI, and Scrin forces fought out the final battles of the Third Tiberium War at or near Ground Zero.