Altered Maps XII: Not to Scale

[gangleri2001]

Terra incognito? Brittania? Iberia? Somebody should pay attention to his Latin.

 

[Graceheart the Leopard]

The ultimate result of a project that I contributed to from about May-September last year. I honestly can't remember the context of this.

Spoiler :

 

[Graceheart the Leopard]

Bumping...

 

[Yoda Power]

Here's a map of Lebanon. In case anyone didn't realise how much of a mess that country is.

 

[madviking]

what's the difference between light and dark?

 

[Yoda Power]

Density probably. The light areas seem to correspond to the mountain areas of Lebanon, were few people live.

 

[Kyriakos]

^So, what's that city/area below Tripoli where everyone seems to be Greek?

 

[Yoda Power]

They're not Greek, they're Greek Orthodox. It's a map of religion, not language.

 

[Civ'ed]

What interests me more is that there is no such thing as a low concentration of Alawis in Lebanon.

 

[NedimNapoleon]

It's because you can't mossad the Assad.

 

[DroopyTofu]

 

[mitsho]

Apparently Switzerland is not in Europe.

A quick google search tells me the most common surname in Switzerland is Müller as well, not really surprising since the majority is Swiss German and all.

What I find more surprising that apparently English needed many more Smiths while Germans needed more Millers. Now where these professions just worse (so they needed more), better (so more people became one) or more fertile?

 

[Yoda Power]

England industrilized earlier, causing miller to become an obsolete occupation.

 

[Civ'ed]

A quick google search tells me the most common surname in Switzerland is Müller as well, not really surprising since the majority is Swiss German and all.

What I find more surprising that apparently English needed many more Smiths while Germans needed more Millers. Now where these professions just worse (so they needed more), better (so more people became one) or more fertile?

I can explain it (in a way) for Switzerland. There exist villages in the mountains with only one or two surnames because it's a farmer's son building a home there, then his son moving and building the next home, etc.
In essence entire villages are related to one Müller.

 

[Tee Kay]

Australian Federal Elections, 2013

Current (pre-election) political landscape

(The electorates by the way are mostly named after historical figures, except for those that date back to the early 1900s)

Spoiler :

And now for some demographics

Percentage of overseas-born population

Spoiler :

Religious population
(mostly Christian, but there are 5-20+ % concentrations of Muslims and Buddhists in certain parts of Melbourne and Sydney)

Spoiler :

Median family income

Spoiler :

Education level (bachelor degrees or higher)

Spoiler :

 

[gangleri2001]

My old editor-friendly blank map is quite out of date (no Kosovo and South Sudan), so I've decided to create a new editor-friendly blank map for ou to enjoy. In this map, I've tried to be more respectful with the many overseas posessions of more countries than in my previous one. The only exception to this is the UK because there's the french line to French Guyana blocking the way to the Falklands. Enjoy it.

And here you've got in red the countries that have been made friendlier to the editor:

 

[Winner]

I've decided to revisit a little project of mine from way back.

Alternate Cold War scenario:

 

[gangleri2001]

I've many questions about your map:

• How do Cyprus, the Dodecanese and Crete end up in one single Greek state?
• Why is Czechoslovakia divided?
• Why are Sweden and Austria a NATO members?
• Why hasn't Germany lost more terrritory?
• Why is Poland divided instead of Germany?
• Why is the P.R.o.P colored differently? Does th P.R.o.P. have a Königsberg corridor?
• Are there any Salazarist and Francoist regimes in Spain and Portugal or did they took part in WWII? Why do they end up being NATO members?
• Is Finland still "independent"?
• How come does Finnmark being part of the USSR/Soviet Finland?
• Do Albania and Yugoslavia ever leave the eastern block?

 

[Winner]

I've many questions about your map:

Before I get to them, a short summary of what happened in this timeline:

Spoiler :

Eisenhower died in a random car accident before he could enact his "broad front" approach to defeating Germany. Instead, the views put forward by people such as Patton and Montgomery prevailed and the Allied advance following the breakout from Normandy focused on a narrow front, deep thrust into Germany. The Wehrmacht never got a chance to retreat in (some semblance of) order and re-establish the Western front. The Brits dash to the Netherlands paid of and the capture of Antwerpen ahead of time greatly eased the logistical difficulties of the Allied drive.

As the collapse in the West unfolded, Hitler became fixated on that region and lost interest in directly running operations in the East. This gave the generals the freedom and opportunity to finally wage the kind of war against the Soviets they were good at - flexible defence, giving ground to prepare for a counterblow, instead of standing ground and letting themselves get cut off and surrounded. Manstein was reinstated and named the supreme commander-Eastern front following Models transfer to the West.

The Allied success spooked Stalin, who was now anxious to renew the drive into Germany following the success of Operation Bagration, which left the Soviet forces at the banks of Vistula. He ordered Zhukov et al. to renew the advance on the Polish front. They opposed vigorously, knowing well that the forces badly needed reorganization, resupply, and respite following Bagration. But Stalin was adamant, and so the Soviets launched a major offensive in late September, 1944.

Germans at first feigned a break up of the front, with many units fleeing apparently in disorder. Soviets let themselves be seduced by the thought that the German morale has finally collapsed and the road to Berlin is wide open. But then came the counter-attack by the last panzer-reserves the Germans could scrape off the bottom of the barrel against the exposed flanks of the Soviet spearheads. Many of the best Red Army units were surrounded and destroyed, others were badly mauled. Before Stalin authorized retreat, the hastily organized offensive turned into a major disaster for the Soviets and the last German victory in the East.

Germans then retreated from East Prussia and the Baltic states and established a strong defence along the Vistula, which held the Soviets back until the war ended in on 17th of November, 1944. Soviets therefore pushed elsewhere, primarily in the Balkans, where the Germans could not resist and were forced to retreat back to Central Europe.

Hitler was killed by a disgruntled Wehrmacht soldier when he urged a "fanatical stuggle to the last man" in Berlin against the Allies. This might have worked, if the enemy were the dreaded Bolsheviks, but nobody was willing to die fighting the British and the Americans whose forces were now surrounding Berlin. When Hitler reached to shake the soldier's hand, he shouted "long live our holy Germany" and blew himself up, suicide bomber style.

After Hitler's death, a power-struggle erupted among top Nazi officials. Göering eventually prevailed, but before then the military governor of Berlin had already surrendered the city to the Allies. Göering's only major act as the new Führer was to issue a general surrender order to the German armed forces. Crucially, Germany only surrendered to the Western Allies (hoping for greater leniency there); German forces along the Vistula and in Hungary, Slovakia, Yugoslavia and Italy held their ground against the Soviets until the Allied forces arrived to accept their surrender.

Therefore, the final borders reflect the factual separation of West-East forces at the end of WW2. Stalin was royally pissed by the result and demanded a slice of Germany proper, but the Poles in the Western zone vigorously refused any Soviet transfer over their soil, and Churchill used it as an excuse to exclude the Soviets from dividing up Germany. The Soviets reacted angrily and the Cold War started much sooner...

[*]How do Cyprus, the Dodecanese and Crete end up in one single Greek state?

In this timeline, Stalin offered generous support to the Greek communists in the brief Greek civil war. The Communists prevailed in short order, and their opponents fled the country. Britain helped them to reorganize on Crete, Rhodos and Cyprus and set up an independent, pro-Western government there. Sort of a Taiwan-like situation.

[*]Why is Czechoslovakia divided?

The Soviets "liberated" the Slovak state, but Bohemia and Moravia were liberated by the Western Allies. Elections were to be held in the whole country, but the more aggressive, angry Soviets were not interested in any accommodation that could favour the West. Elections were held separately and in the Slovak part, the Communists "won". Shortly thereafter they declared the Slovak Socialist Republic. To prop them up, the Soviets ensured they got the territories occupied by Hungary back, as well as Ruthenia.

The Czech part called itself Czechoslovakia (thus laying claim for Slovakia) for the years to come, but in 1946 a failed Communist coup precipitated a major political reorganization of the country, the inclusion of Sudeten Germany parties into the anti-Communist coalition, and eventually its transformation into the Czech Federal Republic, known as Bundesrepublik Böhmen in German. And yes, the Sudeten Germans were never expelled in this timeline, the Western Allies did not permit such cruel, massive population transfers.

C.F.R. controls two pieces of Slovakia. A Slovak attempt to seize them by force led to a brief armed conflict in 1950, which almost ignited WW3.

[*]Why are Sweden and Austria a NATO members?

They are not. The lightest blue colour means they are technically neutral, but in reality closely co-operating with NATO military command.

In our timeline, Austria was "neutralized" as part of an agreement between the West and the Soviets, which ensured reunification of their respective occupation zones. In this timeline, the Soviets had never reached Austria. Austria still became technically neutral, but in reality it always co-operated closely with the West, preparing for a potential Soviet invasion.

Sweden was forced into a closer alliance with the West following the Sovietization of Finland and the 'theft' of Finmark from Norway. In order to protect the Swedes on Åland Islands, it occupied the islands while Finland was being overrun by the Soviets. This of course wasn't viewed positively by the Soviets, therefore Sweden had to lean towards the West more to ensure its security.

[*]Why hasn't Germany lost more terrritory?

Because that territory is ethnically German. It had lost pieces here and there, where there were significant Polish minorities, and it had lost East Prussia, which was seized by the vengeful Soviets (but mostly evacuated beforehand during the German withdrawal). Western Allies would not permit large scale population transfers after the war.

[*]Why is Poland divided instead of Germany?

The Soviets refused to recognize the Western Polish government, and instead set up its own, Communist one in the parts of Poland it controlled. It even gave it the region around Lvov to ensure its viability.

[*]Why is the P.R.o.P colored differently? Does th P.R.o.P. have a Königsberg corridor?

The colouring of the two Polish states is for emphasis only, it has no other significance. P.R.o.P. controls the same piece of East Prussia OTL Poland does. Its western border follows the Vistula river (more or less). Its capital is in East Warsaw.

[*]Are there any Salazarist and Francoist regimes in Spain and Portugal or did they took part in WWII? Why do they end up being NATO members?

Short answer: the Soviets are MUCH more active in the Med and in the Middle East in general. NATO had to get all support it could, so worries over the democratic credentials of certain countries were suspended.

Spain's fate in WW2 was the same as in OTL.

[*]Is Finland still "independent"?

In so far as other Eastern Bloc countries are "independent". It is not a Soviet republic, if that's what you're asking.

[*]How come does Finnmark being part of the USSR/Soviet Finland?

Soviets liberated it, and "forgot" to leave. Eventually, a plebiscite was organized and 99% of people voted to join Communist Finland as an autonomous region. Soviets have many important military installations there.

[*]Do Albania and Yugoslavia ever leave the eastern block?

No. Stalin kept a firm grip over Yugoslavia, strengthened by the fact that the Red Army liberated it before the partisans could do it themselves.

---

Also note that the Soviet Union annexed parts of Northern Iran...

 

[Kyriakos]

Nice dream there, Winner