[Map Game] The Countries of an Alternate World

[Dyranum]

Since I’m so very original and creative, I’ve decided to mimic the many similar games of this genre over on AlternateHistory. All credit goes to the original creator of this concept.

Rules
1. All of the countries make up one present day world
2. The smaller the nation is the better, especially in places where a lot of people will naturally want to make their nations, like Europe or Asia. You can make big empires if you want, but I seriously recommend putting them in terrible locations like Siberia.
3. Pacing is the key folks, since I want everyone to have a shot at making a nation
4. You only get one nation per claim, so choose wisely
5. Kindly don’t wank your nation to ASB levels; that results in an instant retcon.
6. Flags are optional.
7. Maps are highly recommended, but a very accurate description of the country’s location will do otherwise.
8. There is no real "main POD".
9. No Draka, Peshawar Lancers, or any other nonsense like that.
10. I highly prefer creativity as well, so anything that’s from OTL that happens much later (500 years plus being a general rule) is a big no-no.
11. This is not an ISOT map game.
12. The year that this map is in is 1840 A.D.
13. You have to claim before you post; otherwise your post is invalid.
14. When you have claimed, you have 4 hours time to post your nation.
15. DO NOT DESTROY THE RIVERS ON THE MAP! If you do, your map is invalidated.
16. You are allowed to create multiple nations in one claim, if they are small.
17. Maps must be PNG, and their format and size unchanged.

EXAMPLE NATION

Official Name:
Common Name(s):
Government: (Political Ideology)
Capital:
Languages: (percentages also), (which language is the official language)
Head of State:
Head of Government:
Population: (be realistic)
Religion: (list of percentages also)
Founding Date: (Independence, unification, etc)
Date of Max Extent: (when was your nation the largest and/or most powerful. Please state which)
Development: (Very high, high, medium or low. These values are the comparable with the categories HDI countries have. (compare with OTL))
Brief History:

As the creator I get the first shot.

 

[Dyranum]

Official Name: The Kingdom of Armenia
Common Name(s): Armenia
Government: Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Varied. Trebizond, sometimes Antioch
Languages: Armenian 50%, Greek 15%, Caucasian languages 15%, Other languages 20%, Official language Armenian
Head of State: Tigran VII
Head of Government: Currently none, previous one died in office. In the process of choosing new HoG.
Population: ~12million
Religion: Armenian Orthodox 55%, Islam 25%, Other Orthodox 15%, Other Christian 5%
Founding Date: No concrete single date of foundation. However, the general agreed-to period is somewhere in 700-1200
Date of Max Extent: 1840
Development: Medium
Brief History: The foundation of the current Kingdom of Armenia is shrouded in mystery, owing to bad record-keeping. What is known is that its emergence was possible due to the troubles in their at that time two strongest neighbours, Persia and the Eastern Roman Empire. The northern border of Armenia was established through a joint partitioning of a remnant of the Golden Horde with other orthodox powers. As of the current day, Armenia is a strong power, and is eyeing its declining neighbours to the south. [Note: Might add more later]

 

[Mr. Santiago]

I hereby make the first claim, yay me

 

[Spitfire5793]

I claim!

 

[Frymonmon]

Claim.

 

[Mr. Santiago]

Official Name:The Spanish Empire
Common Name(s): Spain
Government: Constitutional Monarchy
Capital: Toledo
Languages: Spanish (a combination of OTL castillian and portugese) 70%, arab 5%, native american languages 25%
Head of State: Victoria I Braganza
Head of Government: Joaquin Baldomero Espartero, 1st Duke of Victory
Population: 16 M
Religion: Catholic 75%, Animist 18%, Jewish 5%, Muslim 2%
Founding Date: Unification of Castille and Portugal, 1482
Date of Max Extent: Largest territory in early 1700s.
Development: Medium
Brief History: The Spanish Empire was once Europe's largest nation, spanning across the globe. After reaching it's zenith in the 1700s the Empire entered into a decline, loosing many of it's colonies to other growing powers. The lowest point was reached in the Civil war of the 1820s, triggered by the succesion crisis of late King Charles VII, last member of the House of Castille (or Trastamara). Duchess Victoria of Braganza sided with the liberal generals of the Army and was able to defeat the reactionary forces of Charle's cousin, Ferdinand. Howhever, the victory resulted in the loss of most of the colonial empire, to either independist movements or to Ferdinand's supporters.

(more to come later, perhaps)

 

[Dyranum]

Oh yeah, forgot to add: No super-early PoDs. Therefore, no things such as Carthage or Phoenicia. This might be a bit of a killjoy to some but such early PoDs kinda don't work with the setting as they would probably butterfly away the Roman Empire.

Current Claim list: Spitfire, Frymonmon

EDIT: Fixed the above map a bit, adding in the Aral Sea and Lake Chad: Link

 

[Spectre17]

I claim Egypt and Syria area.

 

[Dyranum]

Alright, going to do a few changes here. I reserve the right to cut down on any row of simultaneous claims or rearrange the claim order if I see that it is needed (in such situation as, for example, the same people going again and again, preventing some that have not really done much to do their ideas). Furthermore, I encourage people to state what areas they are going to be working in when claiming, as that might cut down on people ruining it for each other.

Another note, due to the inactivity of Spitfire and the resulting aggravation, I will give him until 21:00 (GMT+1) (About 40 minutes from now) to post his part, unless I receive a message which explains the delay. I apologise, but I can't have one player stalling everybody else.

 

[Spitfire5793]

Official Name:The Irish Republic
Common Name(s): Ireland
Government: Republic
Capital: Dublin
Languages: English 80%, Irish 20%
Head of State: Patrick Redmond
Head of Government: John Dylon
Population: 9 M
Religion: Catholic 75%, Protestant 25%
Founding Date: Full Independence 1804
Development: Medium
Brief History: Following the near success of the 1798 rebellion in which thousands of Protestants and Catholics rose up to push out British Rule as well as the failed act of Union, which was overwhelming rejected, Britain decided to release her grasp on Ireland. The Protestant Parliament in Dublin managed to repatriate all of of her powers in 1804. It would be 10 years later that Catholic emancipation passed, allowing Catholic MPs to take their seats. In 1816, the last of the penal laws were abolished. In the late 1830s, Ireland began a period of Industrialisation and Urbanisation. This not only helped relieve the land, allowing larger farms to be created but helped to diversify the economy of the formerly agricultural nation.
Map: It's just Ireland

OOC: Sorry for being slow

 

[Dyranum]

Remark to above: I doubt Ireland's development would be that high, considering its history.

Current Claim list: Frymonmon, Spectre, Shynka (tentatively due to expressed interest)

 

[Frymonmon]

Official Name: Royal and Holy Imperial Kingdom of Germany
Common Name(s): Germany
Government: Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Hamburg
Languages: Official: German. 90% German Speakers, 10% Franco-German.
Head of State: Kaiser Franz Wilhelm II
Head of Government: Kaiser Franz Wilhelm II
Population: 26 Million
Religion: 65% Protestant, 20% Catholic, 15% Jewish
Founding Date: 1826
Date of Max Extent: 1904, Industrial Powerhouse, Expanding Population, Large Colonial Holdings.
Development: High
Brief History: Born out of the remnants of the Holy Roman Empire, Royal and Holy Imperial Kingdom of Germany is a large, expansive Western European nation that stands as one of the mightiest nations in Europe. It currently is an economic powerhouse, and its colony in New Germany, which is slowly gaining population. It also holds a colony in South America, although it is not as populated.

 

[Shynka]

Claiming. I'll be meddling with the Baltic Sea, particularly the Baltic States, Eastern Prussia and a bit of Southern Finland.

 

[etranger01]

Claim. The Southwestern US and Northern Mexico.

 

[Dyranum]

Hmm, that Germany could be considered slightly too big, but we'll see.

Current Claim list: Spectre, Shynka, etranger01

 

[Spectre17]

Official Name: The Ayyubid Sultanate of Egypt and Syria
Common name: The Ayyubids
Government: Absolute monarchy
Capital: Jerusalem
Languages: Arabic 70% Kurdish 10%
Head of State: Salah ad-Din Ayyub ibn Mehmet(commonly known as Saladin III)
Head of Government: Baibars
Population: 8 million
Religion: Islam 85% Orthodox Christian 10% Other 5%
Founding Date: 1171
Date of maximum extent: 1188
Development: Medium

Not so Brief History: Established in 1171 by the Great Sultan and Hero of Islam Saladin the Sultanate was originally a vassal of the Emir of Aleppo Nur ad-Din the Sultanate became independent when he died without an heir. After his death Pope Innocent called a Crusade to ensure that the Holy Land would always be Christian. 2 Kings and an Emperor answered his call. The Emirs of Syria, realizing that only united could they be victorious, agreed to join the Sultanate.

The Crusader forces, including a huge force from Germany assembled in Antioch and marched towards Damascus and then continued towards Mosul and Baghdad. Meanwhile Saladin’s army was in Egypt and once the Crusaders began their advance towards Iraq he marched north, taking control of the entirety of the Crusader lands in Palestine and Syria.The Crusaders army turned around and marched back towards Saladin who met them outside Damascus. In a huge battle Saladin destroyed the Crusader army, ensuring that the Holy land would be Muslim for generations.

However at the moment of his triumph Saladin was killed. After his death and the end of the Crusader menace his Empire began to break up, while his heirs remained nominal Sultans of the entirety of his territory they effectively controlled only Palestine, and Northern Egypt.
In 1830 Sultan Saladin II came to the throne, wildly considered to be a military commander of the caliber of Saladin the Great himself. Saladin along with his Mamluk senior advisor Baibars began the modernization of the Sultanate to bring it into a new age and ensure that no Christian state would ever gain a foothold in the Holy Land again. (note: Will fill in the 600 or so year gap later)

map:

lighter shade is De Jure control but de facto independent

 

[Shynka]

Official Name: The Baltic Republic
Common Name(s): The Baltic Republic, some still refer to it as Prussia
Government: Republic
Capital: Königsberg
Languages: 33% German, 20% Lithuanian, 18% Estonian, 14% Latvian, 10% Finnish, 3% Polish, 2% Russian
Head of State: Antanas Grunau
Head of Government: Jurgis Jonaitis, leader of the Conservative Party.
Population: 8 million
Religion: 70% Protestant, 20% Catholic, 10% Orthodox
Founding Date: 1821
Date of Max Extent: 1831
Development: Medium
Brief History: Prussia was originally a Duchy, ruled by the ex-master of the Teutonic Order, Albert. It was one of the first states in Europe to adopt Protestantism as its official state religion. An expansion to the North, along the Baltic Coast, resulted in Prussia evolving into a fairly strong Kingdom, with a land link to the possessions in Southern Finland. However, after a period of disastrous wars and turmoil, a revolution started in 1819 that ousted the monarchy and established a republic by 1821. In 1826 another segment of Finland was gained after a short conflict. The lands that once formed a link to the Finnish holdings were lost during a brief war in 1832.
Map link is hiding behind this sentence.

 

[tyriet]

I claim :3 (Modern Day Ukraine/Moldova)

 

[Frymonmon]

claim

 

[etranger01]

Official Name: The Empire of Aztlan
Common Name(s): Aztlan, Mexico
Government: Absolute Monarchy
Capital: Tenochtitlan
Languages: 60% Nahuatl, 20% Pueblo, 20% Misc Native
Head of State: Emperor Moctezuma VII
Head of Government: Chief Minister Cemiquiztli Yaotl
Population: ~10 million
Religion: 75% Nahuatl, 25% Native
Founding Date: June 13th, 1420 (as the Aztec Empire), May 20th, 1800 (as the Empire of Aztlan)
Date of Max Extent: Current
Development: Low
Brief History: Following the unsuccessful Spanish invasion of Mexico in the 1400s, Emperor Moctezuma II led his country through a tumultuous period marked with widespread disease and repeated invasion attempts by other European powers. Rather than stagnate and fall, the Mexica instead rapidly adapted to European methods and technology, using them to subjugate their neighbors and expand far beyond the borders of the original Triple Alliance. The Jaguar Army, as it is still known, established Aztec colonial rule across Mexico and the American Southwest, subjugating the natives of the region and incorporating them into their growing empire. In 1800, as colonization slowed down and the Empire began to focus on internal growth, Moctezuma VI declared himself Emperor of Aztlan, a realm uniting the Mexica people and their subjects. Despite their eventual parity with European powers, most of the Aztlanti Empire's technological prowess is concentrated in its military, with large swathes of the northern empire languishing in undeveloped poverty.

Borders: Mexico northeast of the Yucatan Peninsula and the American Southwest west of Texas' eastern border and south of the Texas Panhandle, including most of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, and a small portion of Nevada. I can't do maps; could someone else make one for me?