I'm unsure how that's germane to my rhetorical point about the Cold War, but sure.
Either way the result can be explained as:
Deus Vult
I'm unsure how that's germane to my rhetorical point about the Cold War, but sure.
The more I try to think of which countries have borders which could be imagined as so likely that they could be called destined to be, the more I disbelieve that any are. Certain areas have been political foci, but the political and cultural setups change so much that they're not really constant enough to be imagined as obvious natural states. Egypt has obvious centres on the east coast and along the Nile valley, and has a good western border with the desert, but different states based off of Egypt have controlled anything from half of north Africa, to north and south Sudan, to the majority of the Levant.
I'm unsure how that's germane to my rhetorical point about the Cold War, but sure.
I think California (the U.S. State, not Alta and Baja combined) is one of the more perfect places to house an independent nation.
Isolated (in a good way), surrounded by mountains, deserts, and more mountains, and more deserts, it's difficult for an army to get in.
Fertile, the Central and Imperial Valley offer some of the best farmlands on the continent, with some irrigation you can have a huge surplus of fruit and grain and livestock. Even the hilly coasts could easily be turned into grazing land, which much of it is today.
Defensible. The land on the coast is rugged and the Sierra Nevada are a natural border, an invading army Would be harassed by dense population and rugged terrain.
An amazing harbor. I may be San Franciscan, but let's be honest, is there a more perfect natural harbor than San Francisco Bay? I'm sure there is, but not on on the Pacific! San Francisco, which is fed by rivers coming from hundreds of miles allowing for easy transport, allows for trade dominance in the Northern Pacific.
Honestly, if you're looking for a rich, small nation, go Cali.
West Coast is Best Coast.