Rampa III, often simply called Rampa, was a planet within the Corporate Sector known for its extensive industrialization. Its landscape was so devastated and filled with pollutants that obtaining potable water was incredibly difficult. This scarcity of water led to the development of a profitable smuggling operation, the Rampa Rapids, between Rampa III and the nearby world of R'alla, which had a large supply of fresh, clean water.
Rampa III, situated in the Outer Rim Corporate Sector, was located a short hyperspace jump from the Solenbaran Merchant Route. It was connected to R'alla via a hyperspace lane known as the Rampa Rapids. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, Rampa III was an arid, polluted world constantly suffering from drought conditions.
During the Imperial Period, Rampa III had transformed into a highly industrialized world, characterized by the presence of factories and labor camps run by the Corporate Sector Authority. The Authority routinely sent prisoners and the sector's most impoverished individuals to Rampa III. This led to extreme levels of pollution across the planet, severely limiting the availability of drinkable water. Consequently, a thriving smuggling trade developed between Rampa III and the neighboring planet of R'alla, which was famous for its pure, refreshing water. This trade route, called the Rampa Rapids, was heavily policed by both Authority gunships and the local Rampa Skywatch, making it a notoriously dangerous route. Many smugglers gained experience by transporting water to Rampa III, including a young Han Solo, who navigated the Rampa Rapids early in his career. However, not all smugglers were as successful as Solo. Tiv "Poke" Pocarno, a gunrunner and Captain of the Broken 'Spanner, attempted to smuggle goods to Rampa III in a desperate attempt to repay a significant debt to Reuss VIII crime lord Torel Vorne, but his mission failed, and he died destitute.
C-3PX once carried out an assassination on Rampa III, following a previous hit on Bonadan.
The first mention of Rampa occurred in Han Solo's Revenge, a novel authored by Brian Daley and published in 1979.
Later, in 2009, the reference book The Essential Atlas identified the planet specifically as Rampa III. Furthermore, it established the existence of the Rampa Minor system to distinguish Rampa 1 and Rampa 2 from Rampa III, clarifying that they are located in different star systems.