World Map

So, this week I’m taking a brief departure from putting up actual writing, as that this week I’ve done a lot more worldbuilding than I have actual writing, but in doing research and the production of this map.  It actually just started out as writing on a blank page "temperate area” (A), “forested area” (B), and “sea” (C).  From there I drew some coast lines to make this sea and worked until I’d had both continents created.  From there I added islands and then mountain ranges, marking where tectonic plates were separating or being fused together.  Finally I added in some lakes (and two inland seas) and had rivers drain from mountains down to the sea.  In the end, I determined that in order to make a world, or at least to make it well, it requires a good deal of knowledge of how the world works.  In general, I think that to have something written well at all, you require vast knowledge of everything.  I know that when I write, I end up doing lots of research on trivial things.  For instance, I spent about ten or fifteen minutes doing research on cylinder seals just because I wanted to mention them in a sentence or two.  However, I think it’s quite fun to do, or else I’d not do it at all.  At any rate, on to the map.

(A)- This is originally what I was going to use as an area which previous grand civilizations had existed, namely basing the area off of the Achaemenid Persian dynasty.  However, as I worked more on the map and introduced (E), I thought about changing this area to be more forested and temperate.  I’d also lowered where I would have the equator, closer to around the (G) area or below, making this area cooler.  Instead now I was thinking to make it the heart of the civilization I’m featuring in my writing, being more of a Macedonia/Asia Minor sort of area.

(B)- This area was supposed to be more heavily forested, receiving more rain due to the proximity to the ocean, and feature peoples more akin to the Celts and Germanic tribes.  Most of it would be owned and occupied by the preeminent culture, ruling much of this map, but not all of it.  It’s easy to conqueror and subjugate a people who are already civilized with roads, cities, and large governments, but not so much to do so to peoples who may be semi-nomadic, or live in small tribal confederations.

(C)- This is the central sea around which the nation revolves.  I feel as though the stable seas of the Mediterranean allowed for easier sea travel, and thus more trade and the easier spread of peoples, cultures, and ideas.  Thus a stable sea was necessary as well for me to create civilization as such.  If I’m wrong about that, it’s too late.  There’s a central sea now.

I made two C’s.  Whoops.  This thing must be sort of like Italy.  It’s narrow with a low mountain range in the middle.  However, one side borders an ocean, where the other side only borders the central sea.

(D)- This land is supposed to be more open grassland-y and tundra-y, depending on how north it is.  It’s supposed to be home to numerous nomadic and warlike peoples who are a great threat to anyone they encounter.  However, natural barriers of the two inland seas, one of the largest rivers in the world, and a mountain range prevent them from crossing over into the west… often.

(E)- This area I think I’ve decided to be the new home to my ancient Persian/Assyrian/whatever civilization which existed prior to what exists now, but is now part of the empire.  However, the borders would only extend to the mountain range just south of the E region, and so native peoples or a similar style may have their own nations there.  Once the center of the world with giant palaces to commemorate glorious rulers, it’s now just a province of a greater whole.

(F)- I would make this region, or perhaps the area just northwest of it, into either some manner of Phoenician state or perhaps a south Arabian, such as the Sabaeans or Nabataeans.  All of the borders around the central sea would be the centers of civilization with the largest cities and the most population.

(G)- This area would be mostly grassland and some desert, and around where this letter is at I would the equator for the world.  I’d also mused in having jungles in areas around here, but I’d not really thought that far into it.  This region would likely never actually be visited in person in any of my writing, though perhaps alluded to.  Just the same, the island to the east of here I might make into an Indian sort of culture, again likely only to be alluded to.

Apologies everyone, as this is likely much less interesting to read about than what I normally put up (which is already not very interesting, as is).  However, it should give you a much better idea of the world which all of this all is occurring in.  I’ll probably revisit this again later and place down cities and plop down borders, so it’s no longer just a physical world, but a cultural one.  As always, comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome.