Maps of Words Contests (MWC) No. 1 [VOTING THREAD]

[TheseusDeuteros]

Whose map do you think was best? Please don't only regard graphics, but also ideas, backstory, text etc.

BACONHEIMER:

Here is a map.

Here are my words:
A Map of the South African Republics: 1930
History of the World: 1836 to the Present.
Ever since the 1640s, Europeans have been interested in Southern Africa. The first permenent settlement was a trading post, built by the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or Dutch East India Company. The Dutch controlled the area, especailly the area surrounding the Cape of Good Hope until the Napoleonic Wars, when we took it in 1795 to keep it from being taken by the French. From then on, the colony was ours, although from 1803 to 1806 we gave it back to the Dutch. At that time, the colony numbered about 25,000, and was run completly by the elite, who were all Dutch. Tensions grew higher between the Dutch speaking and the English speaking populations, finally in 1833, when we abolished Slavery in the Empire, tensions were high, so in 1835, massive groups of Dutch Speakers, known as the Boers, moved inwards, in hopes of retreating from British authority in a move known as the Great Trek. Most of these Voortrekkers, or pioneers, moved north of the Orange River, then marking the boundry of the Cape Colony and many congregated in Bloemfontain. However, after establishing a Republic there, many went seperate ways with many crossing into Natal in hopes of a new Boer Republic, but later, a meeting of Boers with a Zulu King turned out badly, and the Boers were massacered, however the Boers eventually won the war against the Zulus in that area, in which they established the Republic of Natalia, which we annexed in 1854 in the 1st Boer War. By the 1st Boer war, quite a few Boer and other nations existed in that area of Africa. One of the most interesting nations was the Griqua Republic, established on the Orange River west of the Orange Free State. The Griquas were descendents of Boers and Africans, who could not live well in Boer Society, so they moved off alone, but even that did not stop the Griquas and the Boers from having an alliance, which served them well during the 1st Boer War, which began on the 30th of April 1852 when British Troops attacked De Aar, then an Orange Free State Border Town. The War continued until the March of 1856, when a white peace was declared, however, a seperate peace with Natalia, which we had overrun led to us annexing the country. For Years, the Boers lived dangerously near the Cape, which was frightening, as if they struck South, they could have taken our Southern African Ports, and the Empire could have fallen. But for 30 years, no such thing happened. One of the most interesting incidents of these 30 years was one that occured in 1861, when a group of Scots and Irish, upset with the way things were being run in the Home Islands, left and went into the Veldt, and attempted to establish their own republic, known as the Deasach Cealt Poblachd, which survived until 1864, when the joined the Transvalli Republic as an autonomous region. However this period of peace ended on Christmas 1884, when Orange Free State Troops began moving over the border into Basutoland, which was only recently taken from the Zulus, as the Free Staters moved there, many Zulus joined there force as well as Boers long living under our control. For a few months, they trounced every force we sent at them, and slowly they began to take control of the Eastern Cape. However, at the Battle of Cradock, the turning point came, and we pushed the Boers back, and by the end of 1888, we were north of the Orange River. But we eventually won, and we pushed the Boers and Griquas North of the Caledon and Orange. During that whole time, the Boers were supplied through the Belgian Congo by French Arms, curtuosy of Napoleon III. In 1899, once again, war broke out in the 3rd Boer War, in which we trounced the Orange Free State in a matter of weeks, and took some lands north of the Caledon, in exchange for Hope Town. The 4th Boer War occured in the Witner of 1905-1906, after an incident on the Griqualand West, Cape Colony Border in which a group of British Settlers shot at a Griqua farm. After the Settlers were killed by a group of Revengeful Griquas, again, we sent a punitive expedition into the Griqua Lands, and then left, having received reperations. But now as Chapter XII comes to an end, the year is 1930, and tensions are still high between the Boers and our colonys. But in a few years, there will be a war that is fought the world over.

JETPACK:

Here's my submission.

Columbus was right! He did land in Asia! Over the next four centuries, Europeans started running low on places to put people, so they heavily territories in Asia. The Spanish and Portuguese especially took advantage of trade opportunities with China. Eventually, through butterflies, someone had a daughter at about the same time someone else had a son, and Spain and Portugal united. The colonial powers came up with reasonable names for all their colonies, but a few of the island countries did end up declaring independence.

In this world, there are no potatoes, tomatoes, or corn (or "maize" whatever), but poor Irish settlers know how to make a mean corned beef and cabbage curry. And they don't have to deal with skunks, grizzly bears, or syphilis. There are a lot of Metis, but they don't speak Cree.

For ease of map-making, the Prime Meridian runs through Persia. However, to call attention to sea routes, this map is centered on the 180th meridian which runs through the Oceanic Sea.
This map is circa 1900 before post-colonialism makes things totally unpredictable.
Colors mostly follow AH standards.

Words I'm using are
- Far East (The only part of the map I paid attention to)
- Country named after an explorer (You can spot a good handful)

I wanted to do more, but it's time for bed. I happen to live in that fantastical part of the world between Greenland and Japan, and over here, normal people getting ready to wake up. I had way too much fun naming Asian and Oceanic territories. Africa still looks a lot like the base map, but I want to fill it up with colonies. I want to find room for a New York, Montreal, Hudson Bay, and Tasmania somewhere.

Here's my updated submission.

The story so far:
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on an island very near Asia. This opened up new profitable trade routes between the two sides of the world. As time went on, Europeans developed many colonies in the Oceanic Sea and in Asia. Spain, Portugal, France, England, and Holland all became early leaders in colonization. Holland's holdings were short-lived. When Spain and Portugal merged, they gained new superpower status.

Since there is not much real estate in the world, the Europeans made earlier pushes into territory that they would have considered too dangerous otherwise. Many colonists died of cold, malaria, or simply the guns of angry tenants. The colonization of Africa was more devastating to the natives than OTL. Many were killed to make room, and many others were shipped as slave to the deadly sugar plantations of the Oceanic islands.

In the beginning of the 1800s, white and mixed-race residents of some Oceanic Islands declared independence to form the United States of America and Liberia. Relations stabilized with their former parent countries and by the end of the century they are strong allies.

The 1880s were a tumultuous time known as the Wars of Native Uprising. The people of some German African territories had enough abuse and were sickened by slave trading taking place on the western side of the continent. They formed the Kingdom of Ethiopia and Republic of Kheusanland. A short-lived attempt to occupy the impoverished former Ottomon Empire was not received well, and they united to form the nation of Turkland with a renewed military. In Asia, the nations of India and Siamba developed independence, although with some cooperation from the United Kingdom.

In the early 1890s, Corea attacked Cipango. In the end, Corea acquired some of Cipango's southern holdings. A ceasefire was declared without resolving the underlying problems.

Meanwhile, Russia has been pushed south and is now threatening French Aria to gain access to the Indian Sea.

The natives of Rupert's Land and Anaheim have frequent riots, and some parties publically intend to stage a coup in the region. Their German rulers are becoming even harsher in their governance.

The year is 1899, and the world is tense.






In lighter news, there is a food called French fries with ketchup. The French fries are made with taro (10 points to whoever can find the ATL word for taro which is hidden as an Easter egg on the map). Ketchup is the name of a condiment made out of vinegar and oyster sauce.

In response to Brady's question, there is no Verendrye Runestone. (Thanks, I didn't even now about the OTL one.) However, there was a runestone found in the small town of Kensington in central New Zealand. It speaks of pre-Columbian Vikings who went on an exploration journey west from Vinland (probably Astor Bay). Since the finder was one of the many immigrants from Gothland, there is suspicion that he forged it.

PS Gothland and Lapland are countries because alien space bats wanted it to look more like the Behaim globe (ushistoryimages.com/christopher-columbus-maps.shtm). Many of the place names come from this and from Fra Mauro's map.

JAJAX:

A map from the Earth Federation's Bureau of Interuniversal Affairs and Education's Grand Encyclopedia, Volume 2 (-500Sa to -125Vz), detailing timeline -350Bf's South Atlantic in the year +1551. Yes, the Bureau is very bad at flag design.

RUBBERDUCK3Y6:

Map showing the results of the 1985 Cygnia sovereignty referendum which resulted in the state government obtaining a mandate to negotiate the Cygnia's secession from the Union of Tasmania (OTL Australia).

Words used: Referendum, Country named after an explorer.

 

[TheseusDeuteros]

I think this is quite a tough choice. Baconheimer's had the coolest style. The ideas of jetpack were obviously the most awesome. But the one of Jajax was most original and very interesting and Rubberduck's is the most clear and neat one, plus I like referendum maps. (This is at least what I think.)

So, who shall I vote for?

 

[Baconheimer]

So to sum up what is going on in my map is that the Boer Republics have survived longer, and are supplied by the French Empire, it is 1930 in the map and a great war will break out soon.

 

[jetpack]

I'd like some background info from Jajax. Forgive my ignorance, but are these cultures your original creation, or they historical? When I Google the names, I don't get a whole lot that's definitive. The name "Boli" shows up as a food in Nigeria and a town in Cote d'Ivoire, but the other names don't get me anything.
Thanks

 

[Jajax]

I'd like some background info from Jajax. Forgive my ignorance, but are these cultures your original creation, or they historical? When I Google the names, I don't get a whole lot that's definitive. The name "Boli" shows up as a food in Nigeria and a town in Cote d'Ivoire, but the other names don't get me anything.
Thanks

They're fairly unhistorical. The names are derived from OTL, but only very loosely (more just as a way of coming up with names than as a realistic pronunciation change). Wolof->Boli Berber->Behambim, etc. But they're intentionally vague, seeing as the map depicts the world almost two millennia after the POD, which was approximately 350 BC, as the time line name suggests. A little more specifically, Alexander the Great turned out differently. He conquered a smaller but more permanent empire including more of the Mediterranean. It feuded with Carthage for cultural and political dominance in the region until Carthage and its empire were dismantled by religiously-motivated Tuareg invaders. Their dualistic religion was spread to western Africa as well the Phoenician and Greek worlds. This religion and accompanying cultural similarities (such as a Tuareg-derived trade language and Greco-Tuareg philosophy and science) is the main factor uniting the "Afro-Iberian" colonizers (and their neighbors in OTL France, Italy, Britain, North Africa, and much of West and Central Africa as well).

 

[Baconheimer]

What does the winner get?

 

[TheseusDeuteros]

What does the winner get?

A title (can be put in signature) which correspond to his or her map and used map. Besides, I notice a remarkable comeback of Jajax...!!!

 

[TheseusDeuteros]

It's getting exciting now. It's now a double tie of 11-11 and 3-3. I wonder who'll win...

 

[TheseusDeuteros]

There's a little less than one day left for those who still want to vote!

 

[jetpack]

Poll closed? Time for my concession speech? Well played, Jajax. Nice work, Rubberduck3y6 and Baconheimer. That was an exciting round with a great set of maps.

 

[TheseusDeuteros]

Poll closed? Time for my concession speech? Well played, Jajax. Nice work, Rubberduck3y6 and Baconheimer. That was an exciting round with a great set of maps.

Yes, the poll is closed. Congratulations to everyone. I hereby state the titles you may put in you signature (with the link to your map or to this poll):

- Jajax: Emperor of the Transatlantic Empire
- jetpack: Regent of the British African Colonies
- Rubberduck3y6: Count of Cygnia
- Baconheimer: Lord of Griqualand West