This thread (and soon poll,) will go over what continents any map makers here hate to have to research, it can be general or if you want you can specify which specific TL you hate researching a continent for.
Worst continent to research in TL?
- Thread starter TheNordicBrit
- Start date
I would think Asia, since it's large size, huge population, and long history would ba lot to take into account.
Africa without question. At least the Americans to some extent have a rough stasis, just stick with advanced neolithic or really really limited bronze and you'll be fine. In Africa if you're messing with it around 1000 AD like I am there is so little easily researched information out there and you have to cut through layers and layers of misinformation i.e. I found out where the mistaken idea that the Almoravids conquered Ghana began but it took 4-5 hours to track down the most likely source of the mistake.
Africa, hands down.
Before the colonial era their's few real historic records for half the continent, plus all those damned tribes splitting, merging and using names of past ones screws things up as well.
I've actually not had alot of problems with the other continents, I know general European History from Rome onward and more in-depth parts for various countries, North America I know pretty well, since it's my own continent, and I've always liked Asia, so I've always read about it.
South America, well I have a general knowledge of its history, but I'll learn something new every once in awhile.
Before the colonial era their's few real historic records for half the continent, plus all those damned tribes splitting, merging and using names of past ones screws things up as well.
I've actually not had alot of problems with the other continents, I know general European History from Rome onward and more in-depth parts for various countries, North America I know pretty well, since it's my own continent, and I've always liked Asia, so I've always read about it.
South America, well I have a general knowledge of its history, but I'll learn something new every once in awhile.
Thande
Donor
Asia: it's biggest, has the most people and civilisations, there are few big areas of nothing as in e.g. Africa so every time anyone does anything it affects everyone else, all the different civilisations have odd naming systems making it hard to keep track of families, and modern crazy nationalism means it's hard finding reliable sources.
Foremost is Africa, especially before European colonialism. Oral histories get lost, written records are absent, etc. As well as the tons of languages and ethnicities and the lack of states to focus on. Of course, this is also easy to mask, because the interior of Africa is rarely world-changing and in European colonialism one can easy chalk things up to Europe.
Asia had states for a long time, as well as writing. That being said, it's huge and insanely complex. Taken as a continent, it's more complex than Europe, and without the benefit of being raised in an age of European domination and -centrism. Not only that, but what happens in Asia can have huge ramifications so...
Europe, too, can be a pain around 1300-1700 because of dynasties, but at the very least there are tons of records and we known the ethnicities and bare bones trends.
Native Americans, while certainly complex and unresearched, are completely obliterated once Europe comes. If Europe comes earlier or another power (China, etc.) comes, we have a problem though. Post-colonisation, however, the Americas are very easy. Australia is similarly obliterated.
Anything after 1950 becomes very easy, simply because we have megatons of information upon every modern country.
Thus, it's a toss up between the little information of Africa and complexity of Asia.
Asia had states for a long time, as well as writing. That being said, it's huge and insanely complex. Taken as a continent, it's more complex than Europe, and without the benefit of being raised in an age of European domination and -centrism. Not only that, but what happens in Asia can have huge ramifications so...
Europe, too, can be a pain around 1300-1700 because of dynasties, but at the very least there are tons of records and we known the ethnicities and bare bones trends.
Native Americans, while certainly complex and unresearched, are completely obliterated once Europe comes. If Europe comes earlier or another power (China, etc.) comes, we have a problem though. Post-colonisation, however, the Americas are very easy. Australia is similarly obliterated.
Anything after 1950 becomes very easy, simply because we have megatons of information upon every modern country.
Thus, it's a toss up between the little information of Africa and complexity of Asia.
I agree. They each have their own individual annoyances.
Europe has the fact that a different language exists every few miles and that they all want their nation states. This is particularly intense in the last 200 years. If the POD is earlier, primarily in medieval times, keeping track of monarchies and hereditary lines is almost impossible. If you change one marriage or one birth you end up messing every throne in the continent. Also most things happen in a very small space.
Asia as it has been said is massive. You run into some similar problems as in Europe, but once colonialism starts it kinda simplifies itself in its last 150 years of history.
Africa prior to colonial times there is very little info and much of it doesn't fit together to nicely. You also have the fact that the modern borders are pretty random and that you must tae into account a lot of the ethnicities found within a political border. It can get pretty nasty.
In the Americans prior to European contact are actually kinda hard as you run into the lack of info problem, particularly in North America, but it is much better than Africa. After European contact:
North America (US and Canada) becomes relatively easy if not the easiest one of all. There is tons of info and most of it is very well organized and its history seems to be straight forward enough.
Latin American though is a completely different story and it might take the prize as the most annoying to do research on. Even though there is enough info to do research on but the info and its history are quite chaotic. It is almost impossible to keep track of who is on who's side or who is fighting for what reason.
Antartica, well as said above it would probably be easy but the damn penguins refuse to share their knowledge.
Africa and Europe.
Africa is hard simply because there isn't that much well-written information about the place, at least for pre-colonial times.
Europe is hard because there is too much information. I'm nervous whenever I write about Europe, because there will always be someone who knows more about a subject than I, and that information will go completely against the ideas in whatever I'm writing. Plus, it's a nightmare to keep track of all the nobility out there.
Africa is hard simply because there isn't that much well-written information about the place, at least for pre-colonial times.
Europe is hard because there is too much information. I'm nervous whenever I write about Europe, because there will always be someone who knows more about a subject than I, and that information will go completely against the ideas in whatever I'm writing. Plus, it's a nightmare to keep track of all the nobility out there.
Alex Richards
Donor
Asia, particularly India, China and the Middle East. In India, there's a new State every 15 miles pre-Raj, China gets pretty nuts and the Middle East is a nightmare to wade through (seriously, about 6 or 7 religions and a tonne of ethnicities.)
Pre-colonial Africa's a pain too, though at least there you know you can just leave most of the continent alone for a TL.
Pre-colonial Africa's a pain too, though at least there you know you can just leave most of the continent alone for a TL.
I've never really struggled with Asian history myself (though that could be because that is the focus of my university course) so I would have to say that Africa is the more awkward continent to study. Unlike with the Asian nations, ethnic groups are far less easy to understand properly with the limited knowledge that I have so I will have to spend more time in the LSE or SOAS libraries if I decide to do an Afro-centric timeline at some point.
Pah, who am I kidding! I'll just do the same tired old "Alternate British Prime Minister" ones that I usually do.
No! After For the Sake of a Shower is finished I am determined to do one where Lin Biao's proposed coup against Mao comes to fruition.
Yes! That is going to be my project for next year I think. Mwahahaha!
I realise that I have totally derailed my own post now, apologies.
Pah, who am I kidding! I'll just do the same tired old "Alternate British Prime Minister" ones that I usually do.
No! After For the Sake of a Shower is finished I am determined to do one where Lin Biao's proposed coup against Mao comes to fruition.
Yes! That is going to be my project for next year I think. Mwahahaha!
I realise that I have totally derailed my own post now, apologies.