Yellow zone

Yellow Zones is a term for a particular region. The Yellow zones cover approximately 50 percent of Earth's surface. These areas have suffered from social collapse due to extreme weather changes caused by Tiberium, Tiberium infestation, and decades of war; though this is true, yellow zones still hold most of the population of the world. Cities in the most afflicted areas in these zones were run by warlords and criminal organizations or have degenerated into anarchy. Many cities are controlled by the Brotherhood of Nod, though some cities, particularly ones with a close proximity to the Blue Zones, act as staging areas and frontline bases for GDI. Subsequently, conditions in these cities tend to be better than those in the "worst off" Yellow Zones. Climatic conditions in most Yellow Zone areas border on uninhabitable, particularly near the edges of Red Zones, where ion storms would often cross over.

The infrastructure of the Yellow zones tends to be old and decayed. Many buildings are on the border of collapse and not fit for habitation. Water lines are almost completely destroyed or deteriorated. Due to years of war and strife, the zones are full of abandoned military hardware and crates as well as once important structures, such as the EMP Control Centers and the Tiberium Spikes, which are now lying in disuse.

Everyday existence in Yellow Zones is not pleasant. Homes are decaying buildings with no running water. Power, in many cases, comes on for a few hours a day at erratic times. Food is scarce, and doctors are even more rare. Humanitarian workers, visiting from the pristine and high tech Blue Zones, on a few occasions provide food or medical care, but there are often strings attached for their help.

Most support is provided by the members of the Brotherhood of Nod, who despite their reputation, have unified these people and provided them with food, health services, education and shelter. As Nod presented Tiberium as a blessing rather than a curse, and are working hard to improve lives of ordinary people, the general population tend to support Nod rather than GDI. It is in the Yellow Zones that Nod does most of its recruitment, training and research.

The harsh reality of the Yellow Zones was not only Tiberium infestation. If Tiberium didn’t get to you, then you were likely to get caught in the crossfire between warlords clashing over turf, or becoming a collateral damage statistic in the global war between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod (and between humans and the Scrin, when they showed up).

After the liquid Tiberium bomb incident certain zones became Red Zones.