Cooperative Countries of a Shared World

[7,052,770]

Official Name: Zhōngguó [Mandarian for "Middle Kingdom"]
Common Name: Zhōngguó
Territorial Description: OTL China around Beijing and the Yellow River
Capital Beijing
Government: Constitutional Monarchy with a 400-member People's Council that helps make laws
Level of Freedom: Medium. Higher than current OTL China, but not much higher
Population: 975,184,000
Languages: Mandarin 81%, Jin 13%, Other 6%
Religion: Confucianism 24%, Taoism 21%, Buddhism 16%, Catholic 6%, Islam 4% Lithuanian Orthodox 2%, Jewish 2%, Varying folk and tribal religions 11%, Other 1%, None 13%
Level of Technology and Development: Varies from very high in the major cities to very low in the rural areas
History: The _____ Dynasty fell apart in the late 1500s, and China never reunited again, splitting into ~5 competing states. The most powerful of these successors was based in Beijing and became known as Zhōngguó, which simply means Middle Kingdom or Central Kingdom. Zhōngguó was friendly to the Lithuanians coming across the continent and generally was happy to trade with the Europeans as long as the Europeans meddled in the other Chinese states and not Zhōngguó.
Zhōngguó was always a major player in the East Asian Wars, and 82-year period from 1845 to 1927 which saw intermittent fighting and periods of uneasy peace, usually with Zhōngguó allied with [a Japanese state], facing off against [Chinese state to the South]. Each of the 4 major wars had varying allies, including some from outside Asia, and there were a number of minor skirmishes classified under the East Asian Wars as well.
Zhōngguó "won" in 1853, "lost" in 1871, lost again in 1884, and won again in 1911, but in the end, Zhōngguó maintained its kingdom while Joseon and [Chinese state to the South] eventually fell to a rebellion and the two sides have had lasting peace ever since. Today, Zhōngguó is a key member of the East Asian Bloc (a fourth major bloc of countries after Europe's old monarchies, the newer republics, and the Obregulan bloc). Thanks largely to Zhōngguó's shrewdness, the East Asian Bloc has secured warm relations and favorable trading deals with members of all three blocs, which has jumpstarted the economy and development of the entire region.
Interesting Fact: Zhōngguó is the only country with a space program that has landed human beings on the moon, although some of the later missions included astronauts from other countries. Zhōngguó and the East Asian Bloc have announced plans for a lunar base by 2030, although most people think the plan is unrealistically ambitious.

[7,052,770]

Are people losing interest?  I would love to see this world completed

[lincolnwall]

I'm still interested, though it becomes tricky to take into account all of the different aspects of the history. I'll get an idea for a certain country, then realize it contradicts a neighbouring one and have to start over.

Currently working on something in the western US.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Made an update on Aragon in its post, expanding upon its space program.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=171031.msg3669256#msg3669256

[7,052,770]

I'm still interested, though it becomes tricky to take into account all of the different aspects of the history. I'll get an idea for a certain country, then realize it contradicts a neighbouring one and have to start over.

Currently working on something in the western US.

You can always post a partial idea and we discuss it as a group if you're not sure exactly how to make it fit into everything.

[7,052,770]

Official Name: Republik von Kreutzerstaat
Common Name: Kreutzerstaat
Territorial Description: similar to OTL Colombia south of 7°N
Capital Hofmann, near OTL Buenaventura
Government: Single-party Obregulan state, although essentially a totalitarian state run by narcissistic General Alfred Schluss
Level of Freedom: Low. Speaking out against the government is not allowed. Religious services are not allowed. The only legal news source is provided by the government.
Population: 18,192,100. Around 40% white and 60% Native in total, which the biracial percentage at 35% and rising.
Languages: Revolutionary German is the official legal language and the one that citizens are supposed to use at all times. Selvobregulan is often understood by the educated.
Religion: None is allowed. There are underground Christian churches, but if caught, the leaders are almost always executed immediately
Level of Technology and Development: Medium. The government is hesitant to allow any new technology that it thinks may help in its overthrow, although there is a thriving black market for the newest products.
History: The area that is now Kreutzerstaat was claimed by [one or more German states - we'll figure out which once they're all filled in] in the 1600s and was considered legally a part of the HREGP, By the 1780s, it had become the HREGP's place to send criminals, troublemakers, and heretics, and had grown to a population of 50,000 Europeans. After the HREGP broke up after PE1, the colony became an independent country and sought to be a protectorate of Aragon. Marketed as a home for Germans who wanted to live in peace away from all the bickering of the post-HRE German states, immigration was high. As a young man, Johann Kreutzer spent some time in the country that now bears his name, inspiring labor leaders and university officials to advocate for Kreutzerian society. By the time the Obregulan revolution began sweeping the continent, there was already a large Kreutzerian organization that took the reins and established the new government and renamed the nation after their fellow German and one-time resident.
For the first decade, Kreutzerstaat actually ran smoothly, as the standard of living rose dramatically, but in 1945, a mini-revolution secretly funded by the ROR swept several party leaders out of power and replaced them with power-hungry despots who were essentially Selvan puppets. Freedom levels dropped. Religion was formally expelled rather than just discouraged. The ROR would allow chairman after chairman to seize power, seemingly on a whim, each more paranoid and power-hungry than the last, and the needs of the people were no longer considered.  The government was unstable for 20 years until Alfred Schluss took power in 1964. His methods were often so brutal that the ROR considered removing him for humanist reasons, but he always kept such good order that Kreutzerstaat never presented any problems to the outside world.
Schluss is growing old now, and no one knows how his death would change the country. For all his oppressive tactics, his overwhelming charisma and public joviality has made him popular with his people.
Interesting Fact: The government of Kreutzerstaat actively encourages people to marry and reproduce with members of a different race, in order to create a single biracial group of people with no racism or biases.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Official Name: Republic of Sonola
Common Name: Sonola
Territorial Description: northwest Mexico, southern California, Arizona, Utah, western Colorado
Capital: Nuva Lisboa (New Lisbon) (OTL Los Mochis, Sinaloa)
Government: In theory a presidential republic, in reality a military dictatorship.
President Jose Martinez
Captain General Fidel de Hermosillo
Level of Freedom: Moderate, somewhat higher in Nuva Mar Salada (New Salt Sea)
Population: 18 million
Languages: Castilian is the official language, spoken by roughly 90% of the population. Scots-English is spoken by roughly 80% of those in Nuva Mar Salada, 20% nationwide.
Religion: Catholicism predominates in seven of the eight provinces and the capital district, but the Church of Jesus-Christ and Modern Saints (Romneighism) is the major religion of Nueva Mar Salada.
Level of Technology and Development: Medium and has improved considerably in the past two decades as the current leadership has been by Sonolan standards both fairly low in corruption and in market interference.
History: While not one of the more significant Castilian colonies, it remained loyal to the mad king, Alfonso VII in the 18th century, but declared independence (with Aragonese assistance) in 1825 during PE1. It has been a troubled country for the most part, with a succession of coups, juntas, and other assorted nastiness, to the point that the term Cactus Republic has much the same connotation as Banana Republic does in our world.  When the Romneyists with their unorthodox religious views sought to leave New Caledonia, they settled around Nuva Mar Salada (OTL Great Salt Lake).  The various generals and presidents ruling in New Lisbon have tolerated the Romneighs as they settled an area that had been unsettled and thought unsettlable.  The Romneighs were content in their de facto autonomy because they were left alone for the most part and doubted they could sustain an independent nation. New Zion, the capital of Nueva Mar Salada, is one of the most important commercial centers in Sonola, and so far the revolving door governments in Nuva Lisboa have been content to not kill the golden goose. Has had trouble with Kreutzerin movements over the years, but not of the Obregulan variety
Interesting Fact: Since independence, the longest period of time between coups or other extraordinary changes of government has been the past 22 years since Colonel Fidel de Hermosillo set aside the then ruling junta, leaving the then current figurehead president alone.  He is a fairly popular dictator, and fairly benevolent unless you forget he's the guardian of the republic, making de Hermosillo this timeline's version of Pinochet.

[lincolnwall]

Official Name: Tal' n' hÉirean
Common Name: Bhruadair ar (after the founding Bhruadair family), New Ireland (controversial)
Territorial Description: OTL Kansas, eastern Colorado, parts of Wyoming and Nebraska
Capital: nua Corcagh
Government: State controlled by a ruling family (the Ó Niadh family since gaining power in 1971). The ruling family assumes all executive and law-making powers; their rule is totalitarian but gentle and the ruling families have always been on good terms with the common people. There is nothing resembling a political party system; rather, extended families (tealaighsin) vie for power and transitions of power have almost always been peaceful.
Cennairagh ar n' Rialtealaighsin (Leader of the Ruling Family) Fionn Ó Niadh
Level of Freedom: Medium-to-High: Most countries, especially its larger neighbours, view the country as backwards and undemocratic; however, the people of Bhruadair ar actually enjoy a high level of personal freedom, as the ruling family does not meddle directly in citizens' personal lives.
Population: 9.4 million
Languages: Gailg 99% (New World Irish, very divergent from standard Irish and increasingly so). The very few other languages spoken include indigenous languages spoken by remnant native populations in the northwest. Immigration is virtually nil. No other languages are taught in schools, and very few know another language nor is is common at all for people to travel to other countries.
Religion: Catholic (unofficial) ~90%, the rest could be classed as "spiritual but not religious".
Level of Technology and Development: Moderately high, increasing. Since the population is not commonly in contact with other cultures, the Rialtealaighsin is responsible for introducing new technologies. Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, though mining is more important in the mountainous west.
History: The existence of Tal' n' hÉirean is the result of timely historical events. During the late 1500s, Ireland was in the midst of a devastating famine caused primarily by drought. Thousands were dying of starvation and hundreds of thousands more faced either death or displacement. The New World offered the best promise of a new life. Many saw the new colony of Jamestown as the best option due to its mild climate and vast new areas of land to be claimed. In the early 1600s (there is debate among families as to the date), 6 large ships set forth from the Port of Cork carrying thousands of settlers bound for Jamestown, only a few short years before Ireland and the other Celtic countries were invaded by England-France. They were allowed to settle, but soon found that they were treated like second-class citizens by the British colonists. With no home to return to, and facing persecution in the colony, in 1668 the Bhruadair family rallied the Irish in Jamestown to the promise of a new, free Irish land to the north. The promise struck a chord and later that year, virtually all Irish families travelled north to the unclaimed lands along what is still known as the Old Irish Road.
         The Bhruadairs are venerated as founders of the country, but their rule lasted only until the 1690s, when the Tóibín family rose the prominence. In total there have been 8 hereditary Rialtealaighsin since then, the Ó Maoldúin family ruling for the longest period from 1769 to 1838. Tal' n' hÉirean has always staunchly defended its traditional method of governance against the encroachments of foreign governments, particularly Jalissalia and New Caledonia. The current Cennairagh (since 1996), Fionn Ó Niadh, has successfully integrated modern technologies into the largely traditional society, and it is estimated that 62% have cell phones, which are modified for Gailg.
Interesting Fact #1: Gailg, descended from 16th century Irish, is so divergent from Irish, mostly in pronunciation but also in spelling and some grammar, that most linguists consider it a separate or "daughter" language of Irish, similar to OTL Dutch and Afrikaans.
Interesting Fact #2: The northwest portion of the country has never been settled by the Irish and retains a small indigenous population and healthy wildlife. As of 2011, the Ó Niadhs have announced that the native population will be granted autonomy over the region, as recognition of their enduring culture and lifestyle compatible with the local wildlife.

[lincolnwall]

Nobody else?

[7,052,770]

Nobody else?

Try PMing people you think might be interested.  I'd like to see this keep going.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I'm interested in participating in this!

[Space7]

Hopefully my history fits in here... I apologize if I need to change it.

Official Name:Republic of Lower Cascadia
Common name:Lower Cascadia
Territorial Description: Far west of the new world, north of Sonola, south of Jalissalia, includes a small group of South Pacific Islands, called the Leaman Islands (real world Marquesas Islands)
Capital: Samala River City
Government: Democracy, it is a no-party system in which Independent Candidates run, attempting to become the Prime Minister of the country or one of the 100 seats in what they call "The Table", which roughly corresponds to the US House. Residents jokingly call it a "Pollocracy", on account of very regular elections and polls so the population has more say in state matters.
Level Of Freedom: Very High
Population: 26,000,000
Languages: Extremely varied: Primarily Lithuanian (59%), Castilian (17%), and Scottish (12%), but the remainder is distributed among all major world languages.
Religion: Majority is Non religious (30%), or Catholic (27%), but only barely, and the rest is a wide variety.
Level of Technology and Development: Average among 1st world countries except for it's unique and efficient space program, which is known for being the best in the world.
History: Originally a small cluster of Lithuanian trading posts and villages (similar to now-day Jalissalia), Lower Cascadia opted to stay seperate from Jalissalia  rather than form a country with them during the rebellions of the 1820s, preferring to carry out a quiet existence as a small democracy. This was due to the fact that Lower Cascadia and then-called Upper Cascadia (now-day Jalissalia) were governed by two different people who had a great distrust for each other owing to different political leanings. This quiet existence was heavily disrupted by the discovery of gold in the Samala Basin, leading to a colossal worldwide gold rush. People from all over the world wanted to try their luck, and many ended up not being able to leave, owing to being unable to find gold. Lower Cascadia expanded so rapidly with such an ethnic diversity that it was impossible to be governed solely by the mediocre population of Lithuanians. Soon, Lower Cascadia had a well off, resource based economy with a high government democracy index.
Interesting Fact #1: The small islands known as the Leaman islands in the South Pacific which are part of Lower Cascadia are a somewhat modern addition. In 1998, the Leaman Islands voted to join a larger mainland country in order to help their struggling economy. Lower Cascadia ended up being the country of choice, and on October 5th, Lower Cascadia agreed to the merge. The Leaman islands now enjoy a high standard of living and are the home of the John A. King Space Center, the largest in the world.

Edit:

Interesting Fact #2: Lower Cascadia has somewhat recently engaged in a semi-friendly space race with the country of Zhōngguó, in an effort to land the first people on the moon. Though Lower Cascadia ended up being the first to launch an orbital satellite, in the end it was Zhōngguó who was able to land the first people on the Moon, to the bitter disappointment of the citizens of Lower Cascadia. Lower Cascadia is now putting their efforts into a manned Mars mission, but it will still be a fair while before the project is completed.

Interesting Fact #3: Lower Cascadia's southern border is infamous for refugees escaping from the troubled country of Sonola. This has subsided somewhat in recent years with the rule of Fidel de Hermosillo, but it still causes considerable dissent between the two nations, because Lower Cascadia chooses not to return the refugees to Sonola.

Sorry about the lack of image, I've made one, but I'm still pretty new, and don't know how to post it in the gallery. Can anyone help?

[Space7]

Looks good.  I'd love for this game to be revived.

Cool, but I'd like to get the image up. I can't see how to post an image into the gallery... would you mind telling me how please?

[7,052,770]

Space7, I went ahead and included your country on the next map, as best as I could tell from your description.

If it's not how you intended, let me know and I'll edit.


Since this game is being revived, I'll add a country myself:


Official Name:Obregulan Republic of Estulur (Basque for "Narrow land")
Common name:Estulur
Territorial Description: Approximately Nicaragua and some of Costa Rica
Capital: Urriza, on the Eastern coast
Government: Single-party Obregulan state
Level Of Freedom: Relatively low, especially for the native minority.
Population: 9,100,000:  41% Basque, 13% mixed, 43% Native, 3% other
Languages: Basque is the official language and is understood by most, although Misumalpan is more often spoken in rural native villages
Religion: Discouraged.  Catholicism is illegal, but the Church of the Holy Flock has parishes.  Native spiritualism is common in rural native villages, but is technically illegal
Level of Technology and Development: There are pockets of rich whites in the cities, but mostly poor.  Almost 100% of the ethnically Native people are poor.
History: Estulur was part of the Aragonese New World since the 1500s, and it was formally established as a Basque colony in 1766, as Basques were tired of being discrimanated against in Europe, and Europeans were tired of having so many Basques around. It was a generally quiet colony for its first hundred years -- it didn't treat the natives very well, but nothing particularly bad when compared to every other European New World country.
When New Catalonia became its own separate kingdom of the HRELP in the 1800s, Estulur began clamoring for that status as well, but since it was almost entirely poor, and the whites there were almost entirely Basques, it was out of the question.,
In the late 1800s and around the turn of the century, the ideas of Johann Kreutzer became popular in the colony, as the population was almost entirely poor and mocked by the Aragonese empire at large because they were Basque. But when Estulur joined the Obregulan revolutions in the 1920s, Aragonese troops cruelly put down the rebellion and established martial law. Aragon maintained order in the 1930s despite fighting PE3 elsewhere, but by the 1940s, Obregulanism was popular among the Basques and Natives living there, and the Righteous Revolution of 1945 threw out the Aragonese permanently. Aragon always suspected involvement from the ROR in funding and training the Obregulan guerrilas, and it was one of the major seeds in the Cold War that began just a few years later.
Since the mid-1940s, Estulur has remained quiet and unimportant -- it just can't quite get its act together, and it has stayed poor.  There's just too much corruption, too little freedom, too little education.  It doesn't help that the most promising young students are generally removed to study in the ROR and usually stay there.
Interesting Facts: In this world, there is no canal crossing [Central America], although the ROR has mulled over building a canal across Estulur for decades, most likely tying in with Lake Espero [Lake Nicaragua] somehow. The failure to get this built is yet another example of how Estulur just can't get its act together.

[Space7]

Space7, I went ahead and included your country on the next map, as best as I could tell from your description.

If it's not how you intended, let me know and I'll edit.

Since this game is being revived, I'll add a country myself:

You got the country perfect, right down to the dark green color (which I used as well )

I'll mention though that I believe one of your map policies is that you don't show rivers once they are within the boundaries of a country; you forgot to remove the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers (Samala and the San Verde Rivers, as they are known in-world)

It must be annoying for cargo ships to round Cape Horn (Cape Mallegan? Cape Storm?) every time they need to go around the Americas.

[7,052,770]

I'll mention though that I believe one of your map policies is that you don't show rivers once they are within the boundaries of a country; you forgot to remove the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers (Samala and the San Verde Rivers, as they are known in-world)

It must be annoying for cargo ships to round Cape Horn (Cape Mallegan? Cape Storm?) every time they need to go around the Americas.

Good catch on the rivers.  I must've gotten rusty.

And I agree it must be annoying to have to sail all around South Americ--I mean, whatever that continent is called.  But, it probably does explain why Tierra del Fuego never fell to the Obregulans -- the area is too important for world shipping that no non-Obregulan country has any interest in letting it fall.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Official Name: United Republics of the Gold Coast
Common Name: (The) Gold Coast
Territorial Description: On the southern coast of West Africa: bounded by the Niger [Asante] River and the Aragonese kingdom of Dakar
Capital: Executive at Kumasi, legislative at Accra, judicial at Porta Ivornas
Government: Constitutional monarchy with an Aragonese-style Parliament and Prime Minister, who according to the constitution must serve one six-year term and rotate between hailing from each original kingdom - the kingdoms are organized under the national umbrella much like our United States of America.
Level of Freedom: Low
Population: 137,012,000
Languages: Gold Coast Latin (official), various native languages
Religion: Islam (official) 65%, Roman Catholic 31%, other and indigenous 4%
Level of Technology and Development: Medium to low, though they have had the assistance of the Crown.
History: First colonized by the Crown of Aragon in the early 19th century, the Gold Coast (known then as the kingdoms of Benin, Ghana, and Asante) was worked to the bone for its natural resources until, finally, the people had had damn well enough of it. Inspired by the American revolutions of that time, General Osei Tutu rallied his people around the ideals of Johann Kreutzer (a man about whom no one really knew much and was in general idolized as some sort of hero of all the oppressed masses) led a long, bloody guerilla war against the colonial masters, finally winning independence in 1944 and declaring himself King Osei. After that new-independence smell wore off, around 1948, the three ex-kingdoms began to quarrel among themselves and a nasty civil war broke out, killing King Osei in the fighting. In 1956, a peace agreement was finally reached, brokered by the Crown of Aragon, that set up the modern system of government. Things continued peacefully on from then, with the nation staying out of foreign wars and maintaining a close relationship with the Crown. The most recent king, Osei II, died in 2007, and his son, the current king, took power as King Kwame.
Interesting Facts: The Gold Coast has a longstanding commitment to harmony among its peoples - most religions and ethnic groups get along very well with each other, aside from the occasional flareup. It also has a rather active music scene.

If Ernest objects to anything I said about his country, feel free to tell me to change any things about it. I'm also not sure about how to do all this map-editing, so can you do it please Harry?

[Space7]

While not outright contradictory, I didn't notice that Zhōngguó had a substantial space program as well as Lower Cascadia until just now, because I've just browsed through the descriptions of all the different countries.

I've added another "Interesting Fact" to my description to mention the Space Race between the two nations.

I also noticed the vast difference of government between Lower Cascadia and it's southern neighbor,  Sonola, so I added some info on that, too.

[Space7]

Sorry for double post, but I just did my 20th post and that means I can use the gallery now!

I think we need some maps to show people who want to make new countries how this world's history and current situation looks.

I thought it might be helpful to visually see the general quality of life in all the different countries, so I made this map:

Lighter = Generally less freedom and quality of life
Darker = Generally more freedom and quality of life



I might make some more maps later to show things like colonization.

[7,052,770]

I'm also not sure about how to do all this map-editing, so can you do it please Harry?

I just use Microsoft Paint.  I can add it in on my next turn (or whoever goes next can).

How big exactly were you envisioning?  The size of our world's Ghana/Benin?  Bigger?

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Bigger. It's flush up against the Aragonese kingdom in southern West Africa (Dakar), and its borders run the length of the Niger River all the way to the ocean.

[7,052,770]

Bigger. It's flush up against the Aragonese kingdom in southern West Africa (Dakar), and its borders run the length of the Niger River all the way to the ocean.

OK, but I think your population is extremely low for a country that big.  In our world, that area probably has well over 100,000,000 people -- possibly more, depending on how exactly Nigeria's population is distributed on that side of the river (I didn't bother to look every single country and state up).

[Del Tachi]

This has been super annoying.

I have tried to post a new nation twice today, but both times my computer and been uncooperative and I have been unable to post.

Currently, I am too angry to try again because, both times, I was literally a mouse-click away from having my country's profile complete. 

I will try again tomorrow. 

[Del Tachi]

This has been super annoying.

I have tried to post a new nation twice today, but both times my computer and been uncooperative and I have been unable to post.

Currently, I am too angry to try again because, both times, I was literally a mouse-click away from having my country's profile complete. 

I will try again tomorrow. 

I hope you typed it into Word or Notepad first and weren't directly typing into the forum text box...

Nope!  I will try to get it up later today, someone else can go if they want to...just save me OTL Mexico

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Bigger. It's flush up against the Aragonese kingdom in southern West Africa (Dakar), and its borders run the length of the Niger River all the way to the ocean.

OK, but I think your population is extremely low for a country that big.  In our world, that area probably has well over 100,000,000 people -- possibly more, depending on how exactly Nigeria's population is distributed on that side of the river (I didn't bother to look every single country and state up).

I've edited it to include approximately the RL populations of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Cote d'Ivoire - all rounded.