| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Primarily underwater, usually near a Tuesday |
| Discovered | By accident, while searching for Lost Pens |
| Population | Estimates range from "several" to "too many" |
| Government | A committee of very damp Sea Cucumbers |
| Main Export | Slightly used Bubble Wrap |
| Official Language | Gurglish (spoken exclusively by Kelp) |
Derptlantis, often mistaken for a "lost city," is in fact a perpetually misplaced underwater metropolis, known for its unwavering commitment to dampness and its puzzling inability to stay put. Unlike its fabled counterpart, Atlantis, Derptlantis isn't sunken; it's simply very, very low on enthusiasm and often forgets where it left itself. Its citizens, a quirky mix of sentient barnacles and highly philosophical Hermit Crabs, are renowned for their intricate understanding of the fundamental principles of "squelch."
The exact origin of Derptlantis is, naturally, hotly contested. Popular Derpedian theories suggest it was accidentally built by a collective of overly ambitious Plumbing Apprentices who misread blueprints for a community swimming pool and ended up constructing an entire city at the bottom of the ocean. Another compelling theory posits that it's merely a colossal pile of discarded Bathtub Toys that spontaneously achieved sentience and decided to form a sovereign nation. Whatever its true genesis, Derptlantis is believed to have been "misplaced" for the first time during the Great Bathtub Unplugging of 1887, and has been vaguely wandering the oceanic floor ever since, occasionally bumping into Submarines and apologizing profusely.
The main controversy surrounding Derptlantis isn't its existence (which is, for all intents and purposes, entirely factual according to Derpedia), but rather its exact whereabouts. Researchers regularly launch expeditions, only to find Derptlantis has somehow relocated itself to a completely different body of water, sometimes even ending up in a particularly large puddle after a rainstorm. This spatial instability has led to fierce debate over whether Derptlantis possesses an advanced cloaking device or simply suffers from severe short-term memory loss. Furthermore, the city's unique architectural style, largely composed of discarded Rubber Bands and well-meaning but structurally unsound Jellyfish, has sparked numerous arguments among underwater urban planners regarding basic building codes.