How do you make alternate subdivisions?

[HistoricalArthropod]

So, how would you make subdivisions in alternate countries? Particularly second level subdivisions, like US counties or Indian districts. Like, it looks like you just draw a bunch of little tiny squares/bloches in your country and call it a day, but I know there is more to it.

 

[BCATR]

Take some physical geography into account. For example, the western border of the state of Mississippi is made by the Mississippi River. That is the primary deal about boundaries.
However, humans can sometimes take other factors to far greater expanses. Maybe its because there is this large population center that a state would take advantage of to become stronger in the nation they lie in, so imagine a weird AH where Nevada has control of Southern California because they could use the population centers there.

Sometimes, linguistic factors make up the borders. For example, the subdivisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina makes it where some Serbs are in the northeast, Herzegovinans are in the south, and in the middle of all of that, Bosnians are around the geographic center of the country.

 

[HistoricalArthropod]

Take some physical geography into account. For example, the western border of the state of Mississippi is made by the Mississippi River. That is the primary deal about boundaries.
However, humans can sometimes take other factors to far greater expanses. Maybe its because there is this large population center that a state would take advantage of to become stronger in the nation they lie in, so imagine a weird AH where Nevada has control of Southern California because they could use the population centers there.

Sometimes, linguistic factors make up the borders. For example, the subdivisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina makes it where some Serbs are in the northeast, Herzegovinans are in the south, and in the middle of all of that, Bosnians are around the geographic center of the country.

So, would the size of the subdivisions be affected by population density? It seems that way, with countries like Russia and Algeria.

 

[Nathan12479]

So, would the size of the subdivisions be affected by population density? It seems that way, with countries like Russia and Algeria.

Well that may also depend on the type of subdivision. Typically low density areas have larger subdivisions like Alaska or the Siberian Oblasts. But there is typically a reason for this: It's more convenient if the area had one central governing body instead of many for the spread out communities. However this doesn't have to be the case, for example: Areas of economic interest may be put in a different subdivision, for example the state of Rondônia in Brazil could have remained a part of neighbouring Amazonas (similar population density and terrain) but the region is resource rich and so was made a separate state in 1943. Also there could be historical reasons for a low density region to have a small state, Acre in Brazil could have been a part of Amazonas but the area is again resource rich and has been fought for and conquered by Bolivia multiple times and the Brazilian government just doesn't want to strip the region's autonomy.

The reason for a subdivision's existence and borders can depend on any number of factors - as long as it is justified and makes sense for the justification you can have whatever subdivisions you want really.

 

[HistoricalArthropod]

Well that may also depend on the type of subdivision. Typically low density areas have larger subdivisions like Alaska or the Siberian Oblasts. But there is typically a reason for this: It's more convenient if the area had one central governing body instead of many for the spread out communities. However this doesn't have to be the case, for example: Areas of economic interest may be put in a different subdivision, for example the state of Rondônia in Brazil could have remained a part of neighbouring Amazonas (similar population density and terrain) but the region is resource rich and so was made a separate state in 1943. Also there could be historical reasons for a low density region to have a small state, Acre in Brazil could have been a part of Amazonas but the area is again resource rich and has been fought for and conquered by Bolivia multiple times and the Brazilian government just doesn't want to strip the region's autonomy.

The reason for a subdivision's existence and borders can depend on any number of factors - as long as it is justified and makes sense for the justification you can have whatever subdivisions you want really.

So for example, in a united Arabia, the area with all the oil may be carved out as a separate province because of economic importance?

 

[BCATR]

So for example, in a united Arabia, the area with all the oil may be carved out as a separate province because of economic importance?

Sometimes very resource rich areas are tied with not-so-rich areas. Can be a few miles of nothing or tying with a poor town.

 

[HistoricalArthropod]

Sometimes very resource rich areas are tied with not-so-rich areas. Can be a few miles of nothing or tying with a poor town.

So basically, I can't make subdivisions of a made up country without a pod for how it formed, because subdivisions are always dependent on circumstances and not based on universal determining factors?

 

[jyxz7]

Hi can I also ask, how do people normally create electoral districts maps, with roughly equal populations?

 

[HistoricalArthropod]

For example, how did Iran form its county borders?