This is a scenario where the English language and the Spanish language switch destinies. I didn't have any POD in mind when I made it; rather, each country here is directly parallel to a Spanish-speaking country in OTL. If I had to give it one, however, I'd say that Britain got into the colonization game much earlier but ended up collapsing and losing its empire in the 18th and 19th centuries to France and Spain, while most of Spain's New World colonies successfully united and eventually became a superpower.
Countries where English is the
de jure or
de facto national language:
Virginia- The largest English-speaking country at 104 million people, Virginia covers the Great Lakes south to OTL North Carolina and Tennessee. Eastern Virginia is prosperous and nearly first-world in its living standard, but the Great Lakes area is overrun by drug cartels that produce and smuggle drugs into Colombia via the Caribbean.
New England- The second-largest English-speaking country, barely, with 46 million people, it covers the area from Pennsylvania to Maine. The Northern Appalachian area, for the past sixty years, have been a haven for far-left guerilla groups which take advantage of the mountainous terrain and nearby borders with Virginia and Canada. In the past couple of years, however, the central government in New York has reached deals with the guerillas, and the conflict has nearly ended.
Kingdom of Britain- With 44 million people, England is the third-largest English-speaking country. It is also the wealthiest, although it’s fallen quite far since its collapse in the early 19th century. In comparison to other European states, England is regarded as poor and corrupt, but barely functional enough to count as a first-world economy. Scotland and Wales are currently agitating for independence, but London refuses to allow any referendum to take place.
California- Includes OTL Southern California and Nevada; has 33 million people. Emerging from various successive dictatorships, California has become a forward-thinking democratic nation, although the police are corrupt and the politicians are possibly worse. Goodwinds, on OTL San Francisco Bay, is the single largest city and center of government in California.
Channel Islands- A small island territory owned and populated by the French, any Californian will tell you that it is rightfully Californian. There was a war with France in the 1980s where California occupied the islands but was defeated, and the Californians are still very angry about it.
Canada- Population 30 million. During the English conquest of Canada, the French were booted out of the St. Lawrence Valley and migrated westward to the Prairies. French is now a national language, but Francophones are generally poorer, with more Native ancestry. In the 1980s, a Francophone communist guerilla movement with weird new-age religious overtones was active in the rural prairies. Quebec City is the largest city and main port in Canada, with more than 12 million people in its metropolitan area.
Houstonian Republic of Texas- Population 22 million. Texas’s history is fraught with dictatorships and economic mismanagement caused by an over-reliance on oil revenues. The newest tragedy in the cycle began with the election of a new president and subsequent replacement of the Texas Constitution with a new Socialist one in 1998. That president ruled until his death, and now his successor is sending the army to suppress protests against his rule.
Australia- Population 18 million. After a successful war of independence in the 19th century and a stable, prosperous century thereafter, Cold War shenanigans triggered a coup d’etat which led to a brutal military dictatorship. Eventually, democracy returned and Australia is almost a first-world country now.
Republic of the Plains- Population 15 million. Roughly where Kansas and Oklahoma are IOTL, but extending all the way to the Rockies, one could be forgiven for forgetting about this country. It borders both the USA and Texas, from which it declared independence in the mid-19th century, and has an unfortunate history of losing land to its larger neighbors. With a left-wing parliament, it is friendly with the other socialist countries in the region: Texas, Cascadia, and Houstonia, but is considered much less radical.
Republic of Florida- Population 14 million. This nation, located on the Florida Peninsula, is ethnically about half-native and half European. The Southern States declared independence from Virginia as the United Provinces of Southern America, shortly after Virginia declared independence from Britain. Florida dominated the UPSA, but the union collapsed before long. After a long and bloody civil war in the late 20th century, it has established a somewhat shaky democracy, though drug violence, poverty, and crime remain rampant.
Cascadia- Population 10 million. Comprising OTL Washington and Northern Oregon, Cascadia is a full-fledged communist military dictatorship with little regard for political freedoms. The current regime is something of a reaction to the previous right-wing regime, which was itself brutal and autocratic. Cascadia is sometimes considered a rogue state, and faces constant shortages due to embargoes and economic mismanagement.
Houstonia- Population 8 million. Consisting of the wide Northern plains south of Canada with whom it briefly united in the 19th century, Houstonia has a large indigenous population. Houstonia, historically, had a deep economic rift between the natives and the whites, but the current socialist regime is mending that as best it can. Poverty is still a massive problem in the country.
Caribbean Republic- Population 8 million. Comprising the Lesser Antilles, Richport (OTL Puerto Rico), Jamaica, Guyana, and part of Cuba, the Caribbean Republic suffered its share of dictatorships and civil war, but is quickly growing into a vibrant democracy. The population is primarily mixed, resulting from intermarriage between blacks and whites beginning in the 19th century.
Georgia- Population 7 million. Another former UPSA state. After a long, troubled history of civil wars, dictatorships, drug violence, and gang warfare, Georgia is still the homicide capital of the world.
Arizona- Population 5 million. When Arizona declared its independence in the early 19th century, it struggled with racial tensions and neighbors meddling in its politics. In the 1840s, a brutal dictatorship had an elegant solution: Death for anyone trying to leave the country for any length of time, and mandatory intermarriage between whites and natives. The dictatorship fell after a horrific war that destroyed almost three-quarters of the adult male population, but its legacy is still felt today: Navajo and English are spoken equally within the country, and it is still deeply independent.
Alabama- Population 5 million. Another former UPSA republic, alabama has had a similarly tragic post-independence history. Following a long drawn-out civil war, Alabama still suffers from extraordinary crime rates. The Yellow Hammers, a notorious criminal gang, traces its origin to Alabama.
Mississippi- Population 5 million. In the late 1970s, Mississippi's government was taken over by communist insurgents. In response, Colombia began arming and training counterrevolutionary death squads, resulting in a civil war in which tens of thousands were killed. Today, the country still struggles with crime and poverty. The Biloxi Coast is an autonomous area in southern Mississippi, where French and Biloxi are spoken.
South Carolina- Population 4.5 million. After a series of dictatorships culminating in a civil war in the mid-20th century, South Carolina abolished its armed forces and became one of the few English-speaking republics with a strong, stable democracy. It is also a hot-spot of eco-tourism and boasts a thriving green energy sector.
Louisiana- Population 4 million. Louisiana declared independence from Texas in the early 20th century as part of a Colombian scheme to control trade in the Mississippi River region. The port of Louisiana City (OTL New Orleans) is a major shipping hub that connects the heart of the North American continent with the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. Louisiana has grown fairly wealthy thanks to this port and also the country's status as a tax haven.
Occidental Republic of Oregon- Population 4 million. Oregon is a stable democracy that ranks first in Anglophone North America in human rights, lack of corruption, and press freedom, and is nearly top-ranked in terms of GDP per capita, income equality, and overall economic growth. It is friendly with its neighbors and generally keeps to itself.
Sierra Leone- Population 3 million. The only officially English-speaking country in Africa, Sierra Leone has grown wealthy from its lucrative diamond mines. However, the extreme corruption at all levels of government ensures that very little of this money actually benefits the average citizen. Despite a high GDP per capita, Sierra Leone has a very low standard of living, poor education, and little infrastructure.
Overseas Department of Hawaii- Population 2 million. A French overseas department, Hawaii is nonetheless almost completely English-speaking. The state has grown and thrived from its link to the French metropole, but still lags behind France in terms of living standards and unemployment.
Countries where English is a significant minority language or where it was once a national language:
Colombia- The country of 300 million is the worlds premier superpower and a major player in world politics. Although Colombia is not primarily an English-speaking country, there is a significant Anglo-Colombian minority throughout the country. Today, over 40 million Colombians speak English as a first language, although immigration policy has become increasingly restrictive and discrimination against non-Spanish speakers is on the rise.
Nigeria- Population 100 million. Nigeria was part of the British Empire for a long time, but was lost in a war with France in the late 19th century. English remained an official language in the country, along with Nigerian (a standardized Yoruba register) and French, until the 1980s, but the language is seldom spoken today. An English creole, Negrish, is spoken in some inland areas.
North Borneo Territory- Population 6 million. North Borneo was owned by England as one of the last vestiges of the British Empire until the territory was handed over to Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1970s. This led to a guerilla war; Indonesia dropped its claim and Malaysia moved to take the entire territory, eventually building a wall between the coastal areas and the jungle interior. The Kalimantan Democratic Republic, which claims the territory but only controls the sparsely-populated inland areas, lists English and Malay as national languages, but Malaysia only lists Malay.
Ouacalla/Wakala- Population 1 million. Located in OTL East Florida, it was called French Florida until it gained its independence from France in the 1980s. Ouacalla is not, officially, an English-speaking nation; the country’s official languages are French and Muskogee. However, long centuries alongside Florida and Alabama has ensured that most Ouacallais have at least a basic grasp of English.
The Principality of Ellan Vannin- Population 90,000. Ellan Vannin, also known as Mannin or Mann, is an island country located between Ireland and Britain. Mann's primary language is Manx but recognizes English as a secondary language, alongside French and Welsh. Mann is traditionally a diarchy where the two co-rulers are the High King of Ireland (or Taoiseach in the modern era) and the Bishop of Clwyd in Wales. However, day-to-day governance is handled by an elected Prime Minister. Mann is a major tourist destination and tax haven, and as a result two-thirds of the population are foreign residents.
Dover/Douvres- Population 30,000. The French exclave of Douvres has been owned by France since the 18th century, and remains a sore spot in Anglo-French relations, as England still claims it. French is the only official language, but residents speak both French and English fluently along with a mixed vernacular known as
Falaisien.
