Maridia

A map of Maridia.

Maridia (マリーディア Marīdia) is an aquatic area of Zebes. It was once part of Brinstar, but it appears that some incident engulfed this area completely in water. It is teeming with marine life, and is a thriving underwater ecosystem. It is very difficult for Samus to fully explore this area without acquisition of the Gravity Suit upgrade. It only appears in Super Metroid and is home to Botwoon and Draygon.

Enemies

Bosses

Power Ups

Main article: Maridia/Items

Subsections

Note that these subsection names are purely conjectural, and are only used to emphasize difference between environments.

Base Maridia

The base subsection of Maridia is connected directly to the most remote sections of Brinstar by a transparent glass tunnel, which can be shattered with a Power Bomb, dubbed the Maridian Tube by fans. (There is a similar tube in Metroid: Zero Mission which requires the exact same method to destroy, required to get all items.) This subsection is composed of the green-tinted stone characteristic of Brinstar, and various species of aquatic flora and fauna which also inhabit the surface of Crateria, near the entrance to the Wrecked Ship. The main atmospheric quality of this subsection is that the environment is very dark and very quiet. A small number of Space Pirates wearing special aquatic gear can be found here. Only a small amount of technology has been integrated into this environment, Space Pirate or otherwise, mainly consisting of a number of Powered Doors and a moderately high number of Grapple Points. This subsection connects directly to both of the other subsections of Maridia, and contains no major boss.

Sandy Maridia

This subsection of Maridia has been heavily integrated with Space Pirate technology and artificial structures. It is a noticeable departure from the quiet and placid Base Maridia, and contains several species of highly dangerous organisms, some of which are artificial. The entire subsection is riddled with deadly quicksand trenches, possibly created by an erosive effect brought on by the addition of a great deal of unnatural installation. Evidently, by the extensive integration of technology, the Space Pirates use this area as a base, most likely with Draygon as commander of the sector. The majority of the landscape is characterized by sand pits, artificial stonework, and rusting metal structures. Environmental hazards presented in this subsection of Maridia make the area highly difficult to navigate safely. Along with Draygon, Botwoon is also a boss present in this area. The Space Jump and Spring Ball are acquired in this subsection.

Upper Maridia

Super Metroid Maridia — Samus exploring the overwater portion of Maridia in her Varia Suit

The environmental features of Upper Maridia are characterized by a landscape composed mainly of a Sandstone-like material, which is completely overgrown with hanging green foliage. This subsection of Maridia is distinguished by the fact that a great deal of it is located over water. Local wildlife inhabiting this area is also highly similar to that of the surface of Crateria, which evidently links directly to this area, (through a passage only accessible by traveling through the Wrecked Ship). Two sub-areas of this section are divided between "Base Maridia" and "Sandy Maridia", but this is only distinguishable by change in music. The sub-area connected to Base Maridia has several hidden expansions and pickups, but does not contain any major bosses or upgrades. The sub-area connected to Sandy Maridia also contains several expansions and pickups, along with the Plasma Beam upgrade and a small number of Space Pirates, but also no major bosses. This subsection of Maridia is the smallest of the three areas.

Possible etymology

Maridia's name could possibly be a reference to the Marid, which in Arabic folklore are water-based djinn, which fits the theme of the area (e.g. mostly flooded).

Trivia

Artwork from the German guide for Super Metroid depicts Samus swimming in the waters of Maridia, though this is not possible ingame. The only other time she has been able to swim is in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (and then for limited periods of time).
The original purpose for Maridia is unknown and has lead to much fan speculation.
It is quite possible that the artificial sections of Maridia were in fact a research facility. This is evidenced by the fact that Mochtroids (a species of failed cloning experiments) are found behind bars in Maridia.
Maridia is the only Zebes area to not be featured in some capacity in Metroid: Zero Mission.
A spit of Maridia can be seen on the map when Samus is still fighting through Crateria, when she passes through a underwater passageway that connects the eastern and western part of Crateria.