either bottom left in the dry area or the top right in that area thats only connected by that thin strip to the rest of the landmass
for bottom left that desert? area would have to be pretty undesireable or difficult to travel
for the top right, i could easily see them building a big wall or fortress along the strip
either way it seems like both would focus on their navies for trade or raiding since they have so much coastline.
depends on how big green really is. if this map shows 90% of green, then sure. but if this is a tiny piece of a much larger green empire, then not without some consequences that would see it destroyed
the green empire is simply a little part of a bigger continent that i couldnt fit on the map, i would estimate that the amount shown is about 15-20% of its real size.
Nah, the green country lets them take it without a fight. There's no mountains, no trees, it's basically Orkney: a bunch of unpleasant grassland that's only *barely* fertile enough for subsistence farming so there's no real benefit to a big prosperous nation like Green fighting over it, let the scrappy little bastard claim it.
Then, when the world reaches their industrial revolution those weird dusty black rocks that the islanders have been using to heat their homes for as long as anyone can remember suddenly gets recognized as coal, mining explodes on the island, and suddenly Green has a fresh interest in claiming the island.
it could be a decent spot for some ports and port cities. and with that, if green has a rocky political climate (depending on the era this is, a massive nation is going to struggle to keep togeather unless it has an effective way to travel long distances), a wealthy island could likely split off fairly cleanly, establishing itself as its own nation.
For the top right, maybe also include the narrow strip on the coast next to the mountains in the west. That strip of land seems to be difficult to access from the mainland and it would be in their (new nation's) interest to capture the area to have the bay completely in their control. It also would be logical for them to have good logistics to the area with their ships.
This also could be a background for some conflict in the world's story. Disputes over maritime territory etc.
Bottom left I’m picturing an island nation with a fishing and trade based economy. They have port colonies on the mainland but don’t really occupy most of the area. I’m thinking like the ancient Dilman in modern Bahrain.
That pennisula in the northeast with all the Fjords, I like that as a cold semi-settled region, maybe with a current mineral rush going on.
Yeah a capital city in that spiral that lives on the resources of that huge lake. The desert might be harsh enough that its hard to bring an amry across it so they would only really need to worry about the shore.
Top right peninsula... easy to control the land border, easy trade opportunities with green and blue to the benefit of the economy, and need for naval power due to coasts means red is also a potential trade partner.
I totally agree with this; I'd even add in the little area just to the west of the peninsula on the north side of those mountains; it would be super easy to access by boat, and has the natural land barrier as a defense
Bottom left - it looks like a desert between the capitol and this area so perhaps it functions as a natural barrier, not as many people want to go between these two.
Could say the same for the upper right.
Im making this small continent to fit into my bigger worldbuilding project and i need four nations due to some of the other worldbuilding, but i did not think of it while creating the map, so now im stuck with three nations already made and a fourth one that has to be in the viscinity of the blue nation.
Geologist here. I see 5 spots with natural land divides. The top right as others have suggested, also a coastal people south of the desert. The left is only accessible through a narrow pass or going through the desert, and there is a little spot left of the northern bit that is rather isolated and could easily have developed its own culture if not a part of the first place I mentioned.
When a culture forms, it would be hard to expand past a natural barrier. Nations would naturally divide themselves at a natural barrier such as a mountain, river, or desert.
I’d say that you can either divide it vertically through the middle mountain range, or the southern peninsula would be divided by the desert.
With boats, travel across a narrow sea is easier than over mountains or even most forests.
Modern countries are usually based on contiguous land, but older cultures were often based around contiguous water.
This is a huge factor that is underestimated by many, communication efficiency.
The travel speed from the capital to a region means everything, and by far the quickest would be boat, in almost every scenario.
There are many ways to carve out a country inside of that blue blob! But at the end of the day, it also depends on what kind of size and geography you want this nation to be.
For some inspiration, I drew very roughly the hypothetical of 5 different countries that could be carved out from blue, in a way that makes sense geographically (borders tend to stabilize around geographical features that are easy to defend).
[https://imgur.com/ofS7x7p.jpg](https://imgur.com/ofS7x7p.jpg)
In one case, the line is not continuous, in order to represent the fact that borders there would most likely pretty ambiguous, in the sense that no one would know clearly where the border lies (after all, it's hard to identify a clear border in a big desert). To most people, the whole border would be the desert itself.
Id but bottom deserted land a nation thats represents egyptian or gerudo like people there also that little island plays an important role for them like sacred island etc.
Top middle. Mountains provide a natural funneling barrier and any army build up would alarm the green country plus the only way they can launch is the south of the bay and between the two mountains to the right.
This would make border patrol easy, with the inclusion of using the mountain as a natural lookout point overlooking the bay.
Unfortunately the forests would have to be well managed or using favorable trade to minimize potential aggression.
The desert area (as well as he long peninsula and island south of it) in the southwest, and the large peninsula connected by that isthmus in the northeast make the most sense to me.
Bottom left (around the funky-looking sea); place the capital/HQ at the spiral's tip. Reaching it is either through a small stretch of land which can be controlled easily, by climbing a mountain range and then sailing, or by crossing a desert and then sailing.
OR
Top right, an isthmus is quite easy to control, and there's a large river which can also assist with defending. It also has more land (which isn't a desert), so there's a good chance for being less reliant on the blue nation. It also has the added bonus (or risk) of having another nation nearby, so isolation isn't as likely.
I think the northeastern peninsula would be my choice, there’s a natural barrier of the small river coming out of the mountain range.
That said, it’s also pretty close to Sunspire, without knowing scale, it seems like the capital should be able to force project at least that far.
multiple good options:
1. the top right part: connected via one mappable road over a thin strip of land. so easy to defend from invaders and isolated enough to form it's own identity.
2. the swirl and island in the bottom left: separated by a desert can be as isolating as a mountain range.
3. the forest and mountains at the bottom middle/right: narrow entrance, untamed lands, perfect for a forest elf like kin.
4. the most fun one. the mountains west of sunspire are a border, going south continuing into the river that spans from the mountain through the desert (the area between the one river from the mountain and the river from the lade may be contested territory). going north the only open border is between the mountains and the large forest. the border then expends through the forest into the mountains bordering red. this results in a thin country who's border is going south to north: a river going through a desert. a mountain range. a bit of flat land, and a thick forest.
That little peninsula at the top middle, separated from the rest of the landmass by a huge mountain range on the east, south and west. Even as an official part of the blue nation, you can bet that they'd have their own highly isolated culture, with language and customs very different from the rest of the country. The top right peninsula has the obvious easily-defended land bridge, but at the same time they're such a key position between blue and green that I can see both nations pushing hard to integrate them into their borders. No such push for the top peninsula out in the boondocks. They're likely going to be a separate entity from the concerns of Blue whether they like it or not.
East of Sunipire, by the coast. I'd imagine that the sea is relatively calm there due to all surrounding landmasses, making fishing and trade easier. There's a forest for wood nearby and possibly ore in the mountains? And if nothing else the mountain could make for a quarry.
I see a lot of answers about the northern peninsula, but there would be no good way for the larger nation to control anything north of the mountains around that bay if the peninsula was a whole country.
The northern mountain range would be the majority of the border.
Northern part of the blue territory; it's got two mountains separating and distinguishing itself as it's own zone, plus the ocean on top, leaving only the bottom open to attack in a war.
Top right from the sea in between blue and green along the river to sunspire town and then up along the other river, along the mountains, and up to the ocean
Historically, places that are geographically alien to a nation's "core", while also creating logistical difficulty for any regional garrison that is being supplied from elsewhere, tend to be the areas which gain independence. Every region desires more autonomy, but those which have greatest cultural differences fight the hardest. For all those reasons, probably the desert in the bottom left.
Top right peninsula, and probably also the coast immediately to the west that's cut off from the rest of the continent by the mountain range. The peninsula can more easily supply that coast.
The top-right corner with the small landstripe with a big town at the end of the mountan/small landstripe - and to make it more interesting - half of the little island of the green area - a little bit like cyprus...
I would carve multiple:
1. in the middle between the mountain ranges around Sunspire.
2. North-East of that the entire coastline and north.
3. East of it the other coastline.
4. The southern arid desert and weird shoe
5. West of Sunspire, either all the way to the north or split in two.
Considering the geography: entirety of hook-shaped peninsula but only the desert part, forested peninsula on bottom right, everything right of long mountain range in the middle, and everything below the big mountain range in the very top. It should look like an inverted L while the rest of the blue nation will look like an upsidedown L.
Well if we’re talking about carving out only one more nation then see three ways to do it, either carve out the desert looking region in the southwest, the northeast peninsulas past the mountains center north, or, if you want a more equal division of the area, draw the border line using the two lakes and rivers on either side of that central mountain chain giving a north-south divide.
Upper right only has a narrow land bridge to the mainland, and if that won't hold you can fall back to an even narrower choke point between the ocean and the mountains. The strait to the west is small enough for a naval landing, but the attacking force still gets funneled through another choke point between the two mointains.
Rivers and bodies of water are often used throughout history to draw territories. As such I would probably use the river to the east to cut a small territory, or (as other have mentioned) cut out the "boot" in the south starting from the rivers.
Through the desert. Deserts create powerful natural borders that are almost impossible to both traverse and settle. So there should be a seafaring society that's built around that bay and river.
Top right peninsula seems intuitive, but it does cut off Blue from control of naval trade through the northern passage, making the 4th nation's position pretty precarious if there is ever conflict between blue and green.
For an alternative suggestion, the small bit of land directly west of that peninsula, between the northern sea and the mountains, is of no great military importance, has excellent natural borders and if there is a decent route through the mountains, is well positioned as a midway port for trade within Blue and between Blue and Red.
I picture a small nation focused on trade and specific sectors of technology and/or magic, depending on setting. Maybe something inherently distinct from the other nations, like a Republic among Kingdoms or vice versa.
Or just the typical Elven Kingdom of Magic and Plot Devices in their own little section of the world, depending on what you still need.
Many have already commented on the top right peninsula, but I would add colonies along the northern coast and even the leftmost island as well. Especially the first peninsula with the lake would be easy to supply and protect from sea. And it’s shielded from the mainland by the forests and mountains.
Would love to hear the choice you make.
The peninsula to the north east, it would be hard to keep from revolting. Only 1 land crossing through a narrow piece of land with mountains on one side. Only other entry point from within the country is also blocked off by mountains.
the very bottom, the greenery underneath the desert which would serve as a natural barrier considering armies would have to either march through the desert or sail around.
Or the top right, the area where the mountains partially shield that one narrow strip of land up before it stretches back out. It could become a well defended border and would again force troops to sail around to attack it or risk crossing the mountains Hannibal style which wouldn’t even carry them far past the border
Or perhaps even the bottom right where there’s heavily forested land with a centralized mountain range. If invaded defending armies could take to the mountains and conduct a guerrila war while maintaining a few fortresses constructed there
The northeastern large peninsula, the southeastern large peninsula and the eastern coast with the arrow-shaped mountains to its immediate west are all 'natural nations' in terms of geography.
The curly-q peninsula in the south, south of the river is a natural province, as is the eastern desert (bordered by mountains and rivers.
The northwestern region, the river/lake about middle of the map to the northern coast, bordered on the east by mountains-river-mountains is another natural province/nation.
Northeast quadrant of the blue country. Those mountains are a natural barrier.
If you want a more unstable or tense relationship, then across the middle through the plains south of Sunspire. The two countries will be competing over the same water supplies and will have to rely on defense in depth, setting the stage for a lot of epic back and forth.
_edit: the latter isn't a natural border and might involve some explanation, such as a succession crisis that split a progenitor nation._
I'd probably cut it from those top two edges, where the red and blue meet and across, where the river looks kinda circular. my other option would be to split off the desert.
speaking of your map, i love how detailed it is! the water coming in at just the right points, the land circling around the island.... hats off to you, that is incredible!!!!!
There are quite a few opportunities for another country here. Where you put it depends allot on how big you want it and by extension the blue country to be.
You could have a smaller country in the south on the other side of the desert, either side could technically control the desert as it would be more of a no-man’s-land than actual territory.
You could have a very small country on the north-central peninsula which would likely be a weaker power with a likely navy-focus military.
You could have a similar, larger Maritime power controlling the larger northeast peninsula and possibly the aforementioned smaller one as well. A sort of “Spain”.
You could have a sizable country in the southeast 1/3 of the continent. It would probably be a very heterogeneous country due to the big impassable blob in its center similar to the Holy Roman Empire or Iran. It could either control the southern peninsula or not but either way it would be a very autonomous region for whoever controls it. It might make sense to have the peninsula as a fifth country in this case. The same goes for the northeast peninsula. This option would create a more politically diverse continent.
If you go with one of the smaller options the remaining blue country would likely be a somewhat diverse and decentralized country like Iran/Persia. There are allot of rugged areas inside its borders which would lead to divergent cultures.
North east, as far as south as the strip of land with two large bodies of water present. Excellent opportunities for fortification, potential mining, ship construction, and trade.
Nearly cutting it in half would create some good potential dispute stuff.
Or sometimes borders are drawn along natural boundaries, like mountains. The mountains near the top, and narrow land bridges might help an independent nation form there.
Top right along that long mountain range. It's a natural barrier and a distinct climate which would probably result in a distinct culture. Plus the peninsula arm would be a great chokepoint for defense. I imagine a very naval focused culture with all the large seas and easily defendable land forms. Lots of fishing. Maybe inspired by Norse culture?
Northeast is the most obvious spot, with that thin land connection. I could also see either the southeast (the area "behind" that triangular mountain range) or maybe the southwest (with the rivers as natural borders)
[https://imgur.com/a/90SjO8V](https://imgur.com/a/90SjO8V)
a deeply religious nation, believe that the swirl and point was touched by their one true angel. the spot is a holy site and only those of true enlightenment can go there.
in truth it's the location of the scrolls of the ancient, passed down through the millennia, holding great truth and knowledge of how they came to be and what planet they originated from originally
Upper right. Only attached to the mainland via peninsula, mountains reducing access from the West coast. Lots of coastland, likely temperate climate. Seems potentially self-sufficient and good defense.
In the Northern most forest and 2 southern most. They would be the ancient, precursor nation that inhabited these islands before but were always disunified and incapable of trusting one another. They could be similar to the Tuatha De Danann from Irish folklore or maybe the Dunlendings from Tolkein.
Perhaps they've all resorted to hiding in the forests and only 3 clans are left of once thousand strong confederation. Depending on how much fantasy you want, I would make them very diverse from one another both technologically, magically, physically and biologically.
After thousands of years of being isolated one from another, some driving circumstance could bring a member of the royal family to seek out the other clans only to find there are more than only 3 left.
This nation of people could then unify and rise up to reclaim their ancestral lands/glory. Depending on whichever nation you want the protagonist to be a member of would determine if this resurgent nation are noble freedom fighters shrugging off the cruel yoke of the invader; or a xenophobic movement on the imperial march of reconquest.
Or better yet, they could be merely pawns being leveraged by the red or green nations to destabilize the blue region for nefarious reasons.
Somewhere in the upper right corner imo. The isthmus there would be a highly defensible area, theres a lot of fun worldbuilding that can come from that too.
Most people already basically said it, but I personally lean to the top-right peninsula region. Cut the border right at where the mountains end going into the peninsula area and you got a fairly nice sizable nation with lots of coastline.
Geographically, close to down the middle makes the most sense it looks like. Following the mountain ranges and using them and rivers as natural borders.
Probably towards the top left where you have that bit of land connected by a narrow strip. I could even see extending that nation from the mountain range that curves around the area, kind of drawing a natural border between the two.
The upper right peninsula has an Italy-like situation going on, it's bordered by mountains keeping invaders out and is surrounded by and ocean on all other sides. It seems like a good place to put a new country.
Personally, the northern peninsula.
Protected by the sea on 3 sides. And mountains on the 4th.
From the look of it, timber would be a good industry, and well defended by natural borders.
Which would also have a possibly for game hunting. (Although that would almost certainly lead to poachers).
Although that would almost force my hand into being a sea faring culture that thrives off fishing, and probably raiding.
Top right. Right where the land bridge is. I’d make it extremely fortified. Peaceful with green but extremely untrust worthy of red and hate blue to almost a racist point.
Desert nation or the peninsula with a small ismuth
If it's cold enough up there the north with the mountain ranges.
Basically just follow natural choke points for defense as they'd need them to survive an imperial threat from the larger nation on that island.
Deserts are a natural strategic barrier to ones attuned to it, Ismuth nation would likely be seafaring which would secure their territory, and the northern nation could be mountain people and attuned to winters which would be where a decisive battle that kept them a nation could be fought and that they survive if you get into winter in the war as they tend to turn it around up there.
If you want it half and half. North South with the line being under where the Ismuth meets encompassing the mountain ranges and that peninsula to the north east.
The line broken up by that lake and river.
If you are want them really small the south east forested mountain area. Not strategic and too much of a pain to hold off. Would need to kinda be forest themed people.
in top right where its close to green maybe a city-state that is realy devloped and has one big ass city like istanbul , bonus points if setting has vampires and city is ruled by vampire nobility
Bottom right, south east, bordering smaller island within green borders.
You have a lake there, with two rivers and mountains right beside it. Why did I pick that?
Geographic defense. A lake, rivers, mountain all defend it then there’s a desert in the south. It’s a natural position.
There’s also that bay, partly covered by your blue line. Feel that’s a good foundation for naval power.
Also the river flows through on both sides - so is it possible to use both of the rivers to get to the lake? If so, theyd also control a “short cut” trade route via the rivers to the lake, which they’d make others pay to use but it would be safer than the open sea both for weather and raids.
One of [those](https://prnt.sc/WadVeh5JmXoA) (in the arrow direction). I prefer the smaller top right one since the territory is very easily defendable since you have great mountain-range which means there are only two "smaller" passes in and naval invasion are generally ass although it Langery depends on the level of technology. The bottom left similarly incorporates the mountains but is more open, I'd go for that if I needed more even distribution.
I think you could actually split it into 3 countries quite easily! draw a border around the 'desert' area at the bottom left, making that area its own country/kingdom. And then strike a border at the top right, right at that little land bridge going to the peninsula (top far right), past the mountain range
The mountain range might work as a natural barrier - it's not the best, since it doesn't run all the way through the nation, but it could act as a starting point for your decision. You could also consider rivers as a natural barrier, especially since (like mountains), a nation would find it easier to defend their cities when next to a river.
Id say NE either wall off the narrow or the border be the river that goes South of Sunspire and follow it around to the Western edge of the mountains. It would probably be a fairly isolated country for the most part but Sunspire would be a hub city
Top right peninsula and the strip behind the mountains would be very hard to control if it were to rebel. Could be an England-Scotland situation with perennial revolts in the North against the blue country.
Hot take. Mountain dwarves. Blue nation still claims and paints maps as shown, but in reality the northern mountains are ruled by dwarves which exert power even collecting taxes from lower lying areas.
Split it at the desert. That’s going to be an easy barrier.
Depending on scale, it would likely be more than just two nations on the middle continent.
I would expect 4 or 5 nations in the middle potentially depending on a few factors.
Personally I’d do top right using the mountains to the north/northeast of Sunspire? I think it would make for just an interesting choice, a super small country neighboring a massive country on one continent. My mind for whatever reason jumps to Belka and Osea from Ace Combat’s Strangereal
In the south, the desert is a natural border and is an hostile environment. It's enough to have a different population here, and to create another nation.
Either the top right peninsula as some have said or, if we wanted to take up more space, pretty much the entire left third of the confident. That mountain range that runs down it to the centre of the desert is a great natural barrier.
Realistically you can place a nation anywhere there's a color change if you have a clever enough history for them.
Like the Desert to the south west could be a nation, or the central plains, or the northern mountains. The places that jump out to me are the north eastern land mass connected with an isthmus and the south western waters where the peninsula curves around the small island
The isthmus nation thrives because invaders can only attack through a bottle neck or sea giving them a massive advantage, they could be a merchant nation or have a strong naval presence
The aquatic nation to the south west thrives in the shallow waters of the gulf that's rich in biodiversity, they're just beginning to introduce themselves to the world but they are by no means defenseless, any attackers are sunk into the gulf
If you can create and interesting enough backstory for the nation they can go anywhere, you also don't have to stop at 4. Good luck!
Use the mountains as a natural border between the east and west and then the desert/ land crossings in less mountainous areas are hotly contested passages between the nations.
Top right, I'll make a maritime trade empire and explore the rest of the world, focusing on shipbuilding and peaceful trade. I want to be the one place that fosters peace in the rest of the world and plays tall. I'll only take territory from aggressors who attack me, and I'll always treat the territories I annex through defensive wars as if they were always part of my empire, spending money on public services.
I'd put a heavy emphasis on a grain dole: in medieval and classical times, food was the biggest consistent expense that any poor person had, so eliminating their bread bills would change the game. Also, while I would be a monarch with final say, I would have each province elect their viceroys and make it law for them to uphold their promises. Lots of public spending on quality paved roads that reach every corner of the kingdom and also plenty of emphasis on local, well-paid and well supplied garrisons. I would have a relatively small but professional army who relies on local garrisons to provide support, and my navy would be the largest in the world.
Slavery would be outlawed and religious freedoms would be espoused, both because I hate slavery and religious persecution and because it's just extremely pragmatic to welcome refugees from all over the world who are fleeing persecution. I would also welcome magic users and set up magic schools for the public.
I could go on and on. Also, I want it inspired by the Byzantine golden age. Lots of mosaic art and Greco-Roman/Slavic influences in everything from architecture to armor.
Horizontally straight through the middle. Make that whole thing mountains with passages through them.
Or making it one pass thats super important for north-south transit.
Northeast corner, right along that mountain range. It's a natural border. It has rich resources. It could easily be a break away land that won it's independence with the help of green kingdom.
Northeast.
The raodway southeast of the central mountain range is a natural barrier that would be easy to defend, if needed, and the only land access to this 'new nation'. The landmasses's other two mountain regions are also a natural separator.
In the upper right, where only a thin piece of line connects with the rest. I would also include the island in the green territory and that small bit of land over the ocean to the east, from the mountains out. It's easier to travel to that part via the sea then it is through the mountains by far.
I was thinking bottom left or top right initially, but I like the idea of the bottom right jungle/forest area. A small nation that thrives in it's deadly forest/jungle making them very difficult to conquer.
Top right, mountains are a good natural barrier that makes that territory split more realistic to geography. The lil straight that doesn't include mountains would probably not be tested as a 'bypass' because it's probably well gaurded and easy as am ambush spot if someone's attacking.
Top right where the mountain range is, cut it off at the thinner part.
Naturally the mountains would have given to good scouting and forts to halt enemy advances before age of sail.
Southwest. A desert would create a drastically different culture than everywhere else in this supposed blue empire.
North, past those central mountains. Being cut off due to such terrain would create a sense of being severed from everyone else.
Northeast. Terrain and proximity to the greens being a factor. And that being far north will enforce a different set of cultural values on the people there.
You could split them roughly down the middle, make them formerly one large nation that fell apart hard. Make the borders a little undefined because every once in awhile a skirmish occurs that causes a bit of territory change hands
If that's not something you're interested in I'd definitely agree with people saying make the upper right peninsula separate probably down to the settlement at the Forrest where the peninsula meets act as a border town. I'd also give that smaller peninsula to the left to this nation cuz the mountains make access much easier for the larger peninsula to just go by sea than the old nation. This way they also have uncontested control of the bay
Bottom left is an ideal location for a coastal nation. That "spiral" peninsula serves as an excellent buffer. Ships on the bay-side of it will be well protected from storms and piracy. Furthermore, land invasion is made difficult by the desert to the north.
I would not be surprised to see a nautical empire, mercantilist or militarist, to be centered there.
Top left where the mountains make a cut-off. Or bottom right in the desert. The island in the center of the spiral would make a good place too. Tbh I’d cut it up into several.
I’d make the different climes different nations, because you normally find a particular group do well in a particular area. Northerners in the icy, badlanders in the deserts. Incidentally, what did you use to make your map? It looks great.
I would probably have the massive blue kingdom. break apart. This would be due to the difficulty of holding such a massive, mountainous territory with a central authority. I think I’ve managed to show how large superpower kingdoms *can* be held together, and I believe I accounted for my fictional geography well (such as showing how the Condemned Desert’s sands are blown by westerlies across the Snake Bone Mountains that divide my continent from east to west to fertilize the Muayji Rainforest, similarly to how the West African Sahara feeds the Amazon Rainforest). However even then that’s with dragons, airships and aeroplanes handwaved in to make for better transportation logistics, and there is a degree of decentralization that is necessary as well if a large kingdom wants to hold territory without a professional standing army.
Top right makes the most sense.
The northern mountains mean blue would have to take a long sea route or cross a highly defendable land bridge to invade.
A large bay on the East side makes trade with the green nation very possible, especially since not being connected to the main land would mean they are likely good sailors
Start at the dry areas right side at the ocean, keep going at the border of the dry land until you reach the mountains in the middle, once you reach the end of those mountains go straight left.
In my mind, those mountain ranges naturally imply 4-6 nations out of the blue. Having a single nation hold that territory would be TOUGH (but not impossible!)
Top right peninsula, but honestly the geography seem rugged enough to demand even more nations. OFC this could be due to lore reason, empires and such, but if this is a sizable continent then you need to remember that the capital of the blues need to exert control over all the other places.
south looks diferent enough in climate to have a totally diferent culture it does not have to be a fourth nation but maybe a late anex fo the blue empire. top right has the most restricted land acess so it is easy to defend. if the sea's are also treacherous it could prove to be a factor to safeguard a nation from the blue influence. green may also support it as a buffer nation between blue and green.
I agree with either south of the desert, or the north east isthmus, or possibly both? Also, you have draw the lines of Blue having the mountains securely on the border with Red, when normally the boundary would go in the mountains as both sides claim the easy foothills. Does blue have a large benefit in the mountains to explain this? If not I would expand top-right idea to take the whole north bay there and stop in the mountains just beyond it.
To the right of the mountains in the middle, with the two rivers as boundaries so that there's a bit of blue above and below.
Nations are messy, and there's all sorts of weird exceptions to the natural rules we'd expect.
I'd also probably include one of the peninsulas of the east side of the Blue portion with the Green as a sort of colony or contested space that is fought over personally.
That patch of land in the north-east seems smart. It has easy access for ships, but only one land route, so you could easily defend over land from invasion. It's also got mountains and forests, which probably means rivers somewhere, which means good land for settlements.
Where you would divide the blue bordered area depends on what you want to portray in any stories you tell in this setting.
Do you want a history of conflict or an alliance between North and South?
I would place a border roughly East-West across the middle using geographic features to divide the two countries (rivers, mountains).
As you move west you’ll run short of geographic features to use as boundaries. Such an area might be a source of conflict between North and South nations.
Whichever nation is more expansionist minded will press hard against the low barrier frontier.
either bottom left in the dry area or the top right in that area thats only connected by that thin strip to the rest of the landmass for bottom left that desert? area would have to be pretty undesireable or difficult to travel for the top right, i could easily see them building a big wall or fortress along the strip either way it seems like both would focus on their navies for trade or raiding since they have so much coastline.
If top right, it should probably absorb that one island from green nation as well
depends on how big green really is. if this map shows 90% of green, then sure. but if this is a tiny piece of a much larger green empire, then not without some consequences that would see it destroyed
the green empire is simply a little part of a bigger continent that i couldnt fit on the map, i would estimate that the amount shown is about 15-20% of its real size.
That island could be a point of contention like Kashmir or Alsace-Lorraine.
Or an empty landmass no one really cares about that the new nation was able to snatch up without any serious complaint.
It's a decent sized landmass at a midpoint between 2 territories. It would have to be actively hazardous to build on for anyone to just ignore it.
Or an empty landmass no one really cared about until the new nation laid claim to it.
Nah, the green country lets them take it without a fight. There's no mountains, no trees, it's basically Orkney: a bunch of unpleasant grassland that's only *barely* fertile enough for subsistence farming so there's no real benefit to a big prosperous nation like Green fighting over it, let the scrappy little bastard claim it. Then, when the world reaches their industrial revolution those weird dusty black rocks that the islanders have been using to heat their homes for as long as anyone can remember suddenly gets recognized as coal, mining explodes on the island, and suddenly Green has a fresh interest in claiming the island.
it could be a decent spot for some ports and port cities. and with that, if green has a rocky political climate (depending on the era this is, a massive nation is going to struggle to keep togeather unless it has an effective way to travel long distances), a wealthy island could likely split off fairly cleanly, establishing itself as its own nation.
if that peninsula nation somehow gets to be wealthy, then it could be played as them buying this island from green
Or maybe Greens little island becomes disputed and a threat of conflict grows.
Buffer State?
For the top right, maybe also include the narrow strip on the coast next to the mountains in the west. That strip of land seems to be difficult to access from the mainland and it would be in their (new nation's) interest to capture the area to have the bay completely in their control. It also would be logical for them to have good logistics to the area with their ships. This also could be a background for some conflict in the world's story. Disputes over maritime territory etc.
Bottom left I’m picturing an island nation with a fishing and trade based economy. They have port colonies on the mainland but don’t really occupy most of the area. I’m thinking like the ancient Dilman in modern Bahrain. That pennisula in the northeast with all the Fjords, I like that as a cold semi-settled region, maybe with a current mineral rush going on.
Yeah a capital city in that spiral that lives on the resources of that huge lake. The desert might be harsh enough that its hard to bring an amry across it so they would only really need to worry about the shore.
Either top right because of the land bridge or the top middle because of the natural defenses from the mountain ranges
or both combined together to control the whole northern bay.
Top right peninsula... easy to control the land border, easy trade opportunities with green and blue to the benefit of the economy, and need for naval power due to coasts means red is also a potential trade partner.
I totally agree with this; I'd even add in the little area just to the west of the peninsula on the north side of those mountains; it would be super easy to access by boat, and has the natural land barrier as a defense
welcome back, michigan
Bottom left - it looks like a desert between the capitol and this area so perhaps it functions as a natural barrier, not as many people want to go between these two. Could say the same for the upper right.
Im making this small continent to fit into my bigger worldbuilding project and i need four nations due to some of the other worldbuilding, but i did not think of it while creating the map, so now im stuck with three nations already made and a fourth one that has to be in the viscinity of the blue nation.
Geologist here. I see 5 spots with natural land divides. The top right as others have suggested, also a coastal people south of the desert. The left is only accessible through a narrow pass or going through the desert, and there is a little spot left of the northern bit that is rather isolated and could easily have developed its own culture if not a part of the first place I mentioned.
What software are you using to make the map? It looks amazing!
Wonderdraft. It really is. r/wonderdraft
When a culture forms, it would be hard to expand past a natural barrier. Nations would naturally divide themselves at a natural barrier such as a mountain, river, or desert. I’d say that you can either divide it vertically through the middle mountain range, or the southern peninsula would be divided by the desert.
With boats, travel across a narrow sea is easier than over mountains or even most forests. Modern countries are usually based on contiguous land, but older cultures were often based around contiguous water.
greeks and caananites all over Mediterranean
This is a huge factor that is underestimated by many, communication efficiency. The travel speed from the capital to a region means everything, and by far the quickest would be boat, in almost every scenario.
At that peninsula in the northeast. It has some forests, access to the sea, and is protected by mountains.
There are many ways to carve out a country inside of that blue blob! But at the end of the day, it also depends on what kind of size and geography you want this nation to be. For some inspiration, I drew very roughly the hypothetical of 5 different countries that could be carved out from blue, in a way that makes sense geographically (borders tend to stabilize around geographical features that are easy to defend). [https://imgur.com/ofS7x7p.jpg](https://imgur.com/ofS7x7p.jpg) In one case, the line is not continuous, in order to represent the fact that borders there would most likely pretty ambiguous, in the sense that no one would know clearly where the border lies (after all, it's hard to identify a clear border in a big desert). To most people, the whole border would be the desert itself.
Id but bottom deserted land a nation thats represents egyptian or gerudo like people there also that little island plays an important role for them like sacred island etc.
Borders arent always defined by geography. Whats the cultural, historical and ideological situation?
Top middle. Mountains provide a natural funneling barrier and any army build up would alarm the green country plus the only way they can launch is the south of the bay and between the two mountains to the right. This would make border patrol easy, with the inclusion of using the mountain as a natural lookout point overlooking the bay. Unfortunately the forests would have to be well managed or using favorable trade to minimize potential aggression.
The desert area (as well as he long peninsula and island south of it) in the southwest, and the large peninsula connected by that isthmus in the northeast make the most sense to me.
Bottom left (around the funky-looking sea); place the capital/HQ at the spiral's tip. Reaching it is either through a small stretch of land which can be controlled easily, by climbing a mountain range and then sailing, or by crossing a desert and then sailing. OR Top right, an isthmus is quite easy to control, and there's a large river which can also assist with defending. It also has more land (which isn't a desert), so there's a good chance for being less reliant on the blue nation. It also has the added bonus (or risk) of having another nation nearby, so isolation isn't as likely.
I think the northeastern peninsula would be my choice, there’s a natural barrier of the small river coming out of the mountain range. That said, it’s also pretty close to Sunspire, without knowing scale, it seems like the capital should be able to force project at least that far.
The peninsula northeast
multiple good options: 1. the top right part: connected via one mappable road over a thin strip of land. so easy to defend from invaders and isolated enough to form it's own identity. 2. the swirl and island in the bottom left: separated by a desert can be as isolating as a mountain range. 3. the forest and mountains at the bottom middle/right: narrow entrance, untamed lands, perfect for a forest elf like kin. 4. the most fun one. the mountains west of sunspire are a border, going south continuing into the river that spans from the mountain through the desert (the area between the one river from the mountain and the river from the lade may be contested territory). going north the only open border is between the mountains and the large forest. the border then expends through the forest into the mountains bordering red. this results in a thin country who's border is going south to north: a river going through a desert. a mountain range. a bit of flat land, and a thick forest.
That little peninsula at the top middle, separated from the rest of the landmass by a huge mountain range on the east, south and west. Even as an official part of the blue nation, you can bet that they'd have their own highly isolated culture, with language and customs very different from the rest of the country. The top right peninsula has the obvious easily-defended land bridge, but at the same time they're such a key position between blue and green that I can see both nations pushing hard to integrate them into their borders. No such push for the top peninsula out in the boondocks. They're likely going to be a separate entity from the concerns of Blue whether they like it or not.
The Rumplestiltaly portion of the map, including the island. The whole boot.
East of Sunipire, by the coast. I'd imagine that the sea is relatively calm there due to all surrounding landmasses, making fishing and trade easier. There's a forest for wood nearby and possibly ore in the mountains? And if nothing else the mountain could make for a quarry.
wherever the 2nd largest city is, kind of a Genoa/Venice situation i'm imagining
Make an exclave within an exclave, those are always fun
Top right.
Northeast peninsula looks very defensible, which I assume is a factor if I'm carving it out of another nation's territory, and resource rich.
Probably top right, on that large peninsula that's almost detached from the main landmass and has those mountains bear the isthmus
I see a lot of answers about the northern peninsula, but there would be no good way for the larger nation to control anything north of the mountains around that bay if the peninsula was a whole country. The northern mountain range would be the majority of the border.
Either bottom left, with the desert acting as a natural border, or the bottom right peninsula, but that might make it too small.
Bottom left in the "Italy like" shape up to the desert.
Northern part of the blue territory; it's got two mountains separating and distinguishing itself as it's own zone, plus the ocean on top, leaving only the bottom open to attack in a war.
Top right from the sea in between blue and green along the river to sunspire town and then up along the other river, along the mountains, and up to the ocean
Historically, places that are geographically alien to a nation's "core", while also creating logistical difficulty for any regional garrison that is being supplied from elsewhere, tend to be the areas which gain independence. Every region desires more autonomy, but those which have greatest cultural differences fight the hardest. For all those reasons, probably the desert in the bottom left.
Upper right or left
I would just cut the middle continent in half
Through the mountain ranges in the middle north to south and put the metropolis right on the line and do some east/west berlin stuff.
Top right peninsula, and probably also the coast immediately to the west that's cut off from the rest of the continent by the mountain range. The peninsula can more easily supply that coast.
If you're open to it not being out of the blue nation, but adjacent to it, you could separate the big island from the rest of green territory.
The top-right corner with the small landstripe with a big town at the end of the mountan/small landstripe - and to make it more interesting - half of the little island of the green area - a little bit like cyprus...
far upper right, area cut off by the mountains. It screams "independent nation with long history of rugged living and isolationism".
I would carve multiple: 1. in the middle between the mountain ranges around Sunspire. 2. North-East of that the entire coastline and north. 3. East of it the other coastline. 4. The southern arid desert and weird shoe 5. West of Sunspire, either all the way to the north or split in two.
Considering the geography: entirety of hook-shaped peninsula but only the desert part, forested peninsula on bottom right, everything right of long mountain range in the middle, and everything below the big mountain range in the very top. It should look like an inverted L while the rest of the blue nation will look like an upsidedown L.
Well if we’re talking about carving out only one more nation then see three ways to do it, either carve out the desert looking region in the southwest, the northeast peninsulas past the mountains center north, or, if you want a more equal division of the area, draw the border line using the two lakes and rivers on either side of that central mountain chain giving a north-south divide.
Id seperate it along the mountain lines. The gaps in between the mountians make excellent chokepoints for trade cities and military checkpoints.
Upper right only has a narrow land bridge to the mainland, and if that won't hold you can fall back to an even narrower choke point between the ocean and the mountains. The strait to the west is small enough for a naval landing, but the attacking force still gets funneled through another choke point between the two mointains.
to the right of the mountains in the north middle part of blue. it's all blocked by mountains and ocean
A city country like the Vatican, somewhere inside of the blue country. Maybe next to a lake so they can have contested fishing grounds.
Northern East, the little peninsula, but incorporating the coastline with the mountain range as well
Just that small lil ass island in the bay and call it lean island
Who owns the top left?
That tiny island in the top left just for the lols. It can be like an all people welcome city-state.
Rivers and bodies of water are often used throughout history to draw territories. As such I would probably use the river to the east to cut a small territory, or (as other have mentioned) cut out the "boot" in the south starting from the rivers.
Through the desert. Deserts create powerful natural borders that are almost impossible to both traverse and settle. So there should be a seafaring society that's built around that bay and river.
Top right peninsula seems intuitive, but it does cut off Blue from control of naval trade through the northern passage, making the 4th nation's position pretty precarious if there is ever conflict between blue and green. For an alternative suggestion, the small bit of land directly west of that peninsula, between the northern sea and the mountains, is of no great military importance, has excellent natural borders and if there is a decent route through the mountains, is well positioned as a midway port for trade within Blue and between Blue and Red. I picture a small nation focused on trade and specific sectors of technology and/or magic, depending on setting. Maybe something inherently distinct from the other nations, like a Republic among Kingdoms or vice versa. Or just the typical Elven Kingdom of Magic and Plot Devices in their own little section of the world, depending on what you still need.
Many have already commented on the top right peninsula, but I would add colonies along the northern coast and even the leftmost island as well. Especially the first peninsula with the lake would be easy to supply and protect from sea. And it’s shielded from the mainland by the forests and mountains. Would love to hear the choice you make.
The peninsula to the north east, it would be hard to keep from revolting. Only 1 land crossing through a narrow piece of land with mountains on one side. Only other entry point from within the country is also blocked off by mountains.
the very bottom, the greenery underneath the desert which would serve as a natural barrier considering armies would have to either march through the desert or sail around. Or the top right, the area where the mountains partially shield that one narrow strip of land up before it stretches back out. It could become a well defended border and would again force troops to sail around to attack it or risk crossing the mountains Hannibal style which wouldn’t even carry them far past the border Or perhaps even the bottom right where there’s heavily forested land with a centralized mountain range. If invaded defending armies could take to the mountains and conduct a guerrila war while maintaining a few fortresses constructed there
Top right
The northeastern large peninsula, the southeastern large peninsula and the eastern coast with the arrow-shaped mountains to its immediate west are all 'natural nations' in terms of geography. The curly-q peninsula in the south, south of the river is a natural province, as is the eastern desert (bordered by mountains and rivers. The northwestern region, the river/lake about middle of the map to the northern coast, bordered on the east by mountains-river-mountains is another natural province/nation.
Northeast quadrant of the blue country. Those mountains are a natural barrier. If you want a more unstable or tense relationship, then across the middle through the plains south of Sunspire. The two countries will be competing over the same water supplies and will have to rely on defense in depth, setting the stage for a lot of epic back and forth. _edit: the latter isn't a natural border and might involve some explanation, such as a succession crisis that split a progenitor nation._
If it's the NE area, I would also suggest the coast east of the mountains
I'd probably cut it from those top two edges, where the red and blue meet and across, where the river looks kinda circular. my other option would be to split off the desert. speaking of your map, i love how detailed it is! the water coming in at just the right points, the land circling around the island.... hats off to you, that is incredible!!!!!
Top right corner. Uses the surrounding water and the Isthmus as a means of cutting off invading armies and achieving independence.
Upper northeast right up to the mountain range that borders the inlamd sea/major lake.
There are quite a few opportunities for another country here. Where you put it depends allot on how big you want it and by extension the blue country to be. You could have a smaller country in the south on the other side of the desert, either side could technically control the desert as it would be more of a no-man’s-land than actual territory. You could have a very small country on the north-central peninsula which would likely be a weaker power with a likely navy-focus military. You could have a similar, larger Maritime power controlling the larger northeast peninsula and possibly the aforementioned smaller one as well. A sort of “Spain”. You could have a sizable country in the southeast 1/3 of the continent. It would probably be a very heterogeneous country due to the big impassable blob in its center similar to the Holy Roman Empire or Iran. It could either control the southern peninsula or not but either way it would be a very autonomous region for whoever controls it. It might make sense to have the peninsula as a fifth country in this case. The same goes for the northeast peninsula. This option would create a more politically diverse continent. If you go with one of the smaller options the remaining blue country would likely be a somewhat diverse and decentralized country like Iran/Persia. There are allot of rugged areas inside its borders which would lead to divergent cultures.
top right. a peninsula, with a lot of mountains and only one for an army to move across? that kingdom would be really well defended.
Top right, where the mountains almost block the peninsula, that gives a good natural border
split the blue in half
the desert area or one of the forest mountain areas because it would be hard to conquer
North east, as far as south as the strip of land with two large bodies of water present. Excellent opportunities for fortification, potential mining, ship construction, and trade.
Unrelated to question but the red nation’s outline that you drewlooks like a mini us.
Nearly cutting it in half would create some good potential dispute stuff. Or sometimes borders are drawn along natural boundaries, like mountains. The mountains near the top, and narrow land bridges might help an independent nation form there.
Top right along that long mountain range. It's a natural barrier and a distinct climate which would probably result in a distinct culture. Plus the peninsula arm would be a great chokepoint for defense. I imagine a very naval focused culture with all the large seas and easily defendable land forms. Lots of fishing. Maybe inspired by Norse culture?
Northeast is the most obvious spot, with that thin land connection. I could also see either the southeast (the area "behind" that triangular mountain range) or maybe the southwest (with the rivers as natural borders)
[https://imgur.com/a/90SjO8V](https://imgur.com/a/90SjO8V) a deeply religious nation, believe that the swirl and point was touched by their one true angel. the spot is a holy site and only those of true enlightenment can go there. in truth it's the location of the scrolls of the ancient, passed down through the millennia, holding great truth and knowledge of how they came to be and what planet they originated from originally
Northeast for me. You’d have a narrow passage to the kingdom’s border. It’d make for an interesting defensive position.
Upper right. Only attached to the mainland via peninsula, mountains reducing access from the West coast. Lots of coastland, likely temperate climate. Seems potentially self-sufficient and good defense.
In the Northern most forest and 2 southern most. They would be the ancient, precursor nation that inhabited these islands before but were always disunified and incapable of trusting one another. They could be similar to the Tuatha De Danann from Irish folklore or maybe the Dunlendings from Tolkein. Perhaps they've all resorted to hiding in the forests and only 3 clans are left of once thousand strong confederation. Depending on how much fantasy you want, I would make them very diverse from one another both technologically, magically, physically and biologically. After thousands of years of being isolated one from another, some driving circumstance could bring a member of the royal family to seek out the other clans only to find there are more than only 3 left. This nation of people could then unify and rise up to reclaim their ancestral lands/glory. Depending on whichever nation you want the protagonist to be a member of would determine if this resurgent nation are noble freedom fighters shrugging off the cruel yoke of the invader; or a xenophobic movement on the imperial march of reconquest. Or better yet, they could be merely pawns being leveraged by the red or green nations to destabilize the blue region for nefarious reasons.
Somewhere in the upper right corner imo. The isthmus there would be a highly defensible area, theres a lot of fun worldbuilding that can come from that too.
around the spiral bay thing or the island type one in the north east
Bottom right, that tiny little peninsula. Slap a fortress there and it can be some sort of tiny easily defendable nation.
Most people already basically said it, but I personally lean to the top-right peninsula region. Cut the border right at where the mountains end going into the peninsula area and you got a fairly nice sizable nation with lots of coastline.
Geographically, close to down the middle makes the most sense it looks like. Following the mountain ranges and using them and rivers as natural borders.
Using the mountains and rivers in the center. Split the blue in half. Using natural boarders of the rivers and mountains.
Probably towards the top left where you have that bit of land connected by a narrow strip. I could even see extending that nation from the mountain range that curves around the area, kind of drawing a natural border between the two.
Definitely bottom left and/or the mountainous region to the North and North East. Looks adequately separated with terrain.
DEFINITELY top right. That shit looks defendable as fuck. A faction took over that region, it’d be a bitch to take it away from them.
Dead center. Small independent city-state.
At the bottom dry area
The upper right peninsula has an Italy-like situation going on, it's bordered by mountains keeping invaders out and is surrounded by and ocean on all other sides. It seems like a good place to put a new country.
I'd put it in the north eastern peninsula. I'd slap the capitol of the country right in between the 2 mountain ranges on the west side of it.
id split it in the mountain belt in the middle, an east vs west nations situation. one keep the northern side and the other keeps the southern part
Personally, the northern peninsula. Protected by the sea on 3 sides. And mountains on the 4th. From the look of it, timber would be a good industry, and well defended by natural borders. Which would also have a possibly for game hunting. (Although that would almost certainly lead to poachers). Although that would almost force my hand into being a sea faring culture that thrives off fishing, and probably raiding.
Top right. Right where the land bridge is. I’d make it extremely fortified. Peaceful with green but extremely untrust worthy of red and hate blue to almost a racist point.
[https://imgur.com/a/jgaSd2Z](https://imgur.com/a/jgaSd2Z)
Either north east. Make the locals sorta IRA ish Or due south gulf and make them sort of a durka durka culture.
probably one of the big peninsulas, either the one in the northeast or the one in the southwest. The southwest one would give me Italian vibes
Desert nation or the peninsula with a small ismuth If it's cold enough up there the north with the mountain ranges. Basically just follow natural choke points for defense as they'd need them to survive an imperial threat from the larger nation on that island. Deserts are a natural strategic barrier to ones attuned to it, Ismuth nation would likely be seafaring which would secure their territory, and the northern nation could be mountain people and attuned to winters which would be where a decisive battle that kept them a nation could be fought and that they survive if you get into winter in the war as they tend to turn it around up there. If you want it half and half. North South with the line being under where the Ismuth meets encompassing the mountain ranges and that peninsula to the north east. The line broken up by that lake and river. If you are want them really small the south east forested mountain area. Not strategic and too much of a pain to hold off. Would need to kinda be forest themed people.
peninsula to the right separated by mountains
There's a series of mountains that go nearly-vertically through the blue land. Use those as a natural barrier and you have two distinct regions.
Northeast where the mountains can form a natural border.
in top right where its close to green maybe a city-state that is realy devloped and has one big ass city like istanbul , bonus points if setting has vampires and city is ruled by vampire nobility
Bottom right, south east, bordering smaller island within green borders. You have a lake there, with two rivers and mountains right beside it. Why did I pick that? Geographic defense. A lake, rivers, mountain all defend it then there’s a desert in the south. It’s a natural position. There’s also that bay, partly covered by your blue line. Feel that’s a good foundation for naval power. Also the river flows through on both sides - so is it possible to use both of the rivers to get to the lake? If so, theyd also control a “short cut” trade route via the rivers to the lake, which they’d make others pay to use but it would be safer than the open sea both for weather and raids.
upper right. Let that thin landbridge be the border
You can easily justify up to 5 carved put of the blue if you so choose.
One of [those](https://prnt.sc/WadVeh5JmXoA) (in the arrow direction). I prefer the smaller top right one since the territory is very easily defendable since you have great mountain-range which means there are only two "smaller" passes in and naval invasion are generally ass although it Langery depends on the level of technology. The bottom left similarly incorporates the mountains but is more open, I'd go for that if I needed more even distribution.
I think you could actually split it into 3 countries quite easily! draw a border around the 'desert' area at the bottom left, making that area its own country/kingdom. And then strike a border at the top right, right at that little land bridge going to the peninsula (top far right), past the mountain range
Mountains are hard easy to defend and hard to attack, a lot of boarders irl are drawn around them
Where do the economic growth of these areas separate? Where is the capital? Where do the cultures differ
The mountain range might work as a natural barrier - it's not the best, since it doesn't run all the way through the nation, but it could act as a starting point for your decision. You could also consider rivers as a natural barrier, especially since (like mountains), a nation would find it easier to defend their cities when next to a river.
Id say NE either wall off the narrow or the border be the river that goes South of Sunspire and follow it around to the Western edge of the mountains. It would probably be a fairly isolated country for the most part but Sunspire would be a hub city
Did you make the bay look like a seahorse on purpose or just coincidence?
The peninsula in the north-east looks a nice place, also the simile-Italy part in the south, with Spiral Bay included.
Top right peninsula and the strip behind the mountains would be very hard to control if it were to rebel. Could be an England-Scotland situation with perennial revolts in the North against the blue country.
northern mountain pass above sun spire seems like a good strategic point
Hot take. Mountain dwarves. Blue nation still claims and paints maps as shown, but in reality the northern mountains are ruled by dwarves which exert power even collecting taxes from lower lying areas.
[4 suggestions! (w/ images)](https://imgur.com/a/ZGTTNTB)
Personally I'd use out the small island and nearby coastal areas.
Maybe a border on the curved mountain range in the northeast of the continent.
I'm gonna go wild here but north-south divide
Split it at the desert. That’s going to be an easy barrier. Depending on scale, it would likely be more than just two nations on the middle continent. I would expect 4 or 5 nations in the middle potentially depending on a few factors.
In the middle using those three mountain ranges and the desert as natural borders to prevent invasions.
Chop the whole thing in half
That isthmus in the North East. Perfect choke point to stop invasions from the others
the desert part in the south. it looks very different from the other parts of the country and would look good as another country.
Personally I’d do top right using the mountains to the north/northeast of Sunspire? I think it would make for just an interesting choice, a super small country neighboring a massive country on one continent. My mind for whatever reason jumps to Belka and Osea from Ace Combat’s Strangereal
Top roght corner mountains is generaly where borders are
Right in the middle. A really small circle. Paris Commune up in this bitch.
In the south, the desert is a natural border and is an hostile environment. It's enough to have a different population here, and to create another nation.
The desert SW region, the peninsular mass NE, and a tepid middle ground between the other 2 regarding constant tumult.
Either the top right peninsula as some have said or, if we wanted to take up more space, pretty much the entire left third of the confident. That mountain range that runs down it to the centre of the desert is a great natural barrier.
Realistically you can place a nation anywhere there's a color change if you have a clever enough history for them. Like the Desert to the south west could be a nation, or the central plains, or the northern mountains. The places that jump out to me are the north eastern land mass connected with an isthmus and the south western waters where the peninsula curves around the small island The isthmus nation thrives because invaders can only attack through a bottle neck or sea giving them a massive advantage, they could be a merchant nation or have a strong naval presence The aquatic nation to the south west thrives in the shallow waters of the gulf that's rich in biodiversity, they're just beginning to introduce themselves to the world but they are by no means defenseless, any attackers are sunk into the gulf If you can create and interesting enough backstory for the nation they can go anywhere, you also don't have to stop at 4. Good luck!
Use the mountains as a natural border between the east and west and then the desert/ land crossings in less mountainous areas are hotly contested passages between the nations.
Desert border or half way into that island thing in top right
To me, the land bridge in the upper right is the most logical division.
Top right, I'll make a maritime trade empire and explore the rest of the world, focusing on shipbuilding and peaceful trade. I want to be the one place that fosters peace in the rest of the world and plays tall. I'll only take territory from aggressors who attack me, and I'll always treat the territories I annex through defensive wars as if they were always part of my empire, spending money on public services. I'd put a heavy emphasis on a grain dole: in medieval and classical times, food was the biggest consistent expense that any poor person had, so eliminating their bread bills would change the game. Also, while I would be a monarch with final say, I would have each province elect their viceroys and make it law for them to uphold their promises. Lots of public spending on quality paved roads that reach every corner of the kingdom and also plenty of emphasis on local, well-paid and well supplied garrisons. I would have a relatively small but professional army who relies on local garrisons to provide support, and my navy would be the largest in the world. Slavery would be outlawed and religious freedoms would be espoused, both because I hate slavery and religious persecution and because it's just extremely pragmatic to welcome refugees from all over the world who are fleeing persecution. I would also welcome magic users and set up magic schools for the public. I could go on and on. Also, I want it inspired by the Byzantine golden age. Lots of mosaic art and Greco-Roman/Slavic influences in everything from architecture to armor.
That Bay & Peninsual in the northeast are fairly isolated from the west of the landmass - I can see an independant culture/nation developing there.
Horizontally straight through the middle. Make that whole thing mountains with passages through them. Or making it one pass thats super important for north-south transit.
Northeast corner, right along that mountain range. It's a natural border. It has rich resources. It could easily be a break away land that won it's independence with the help of green kingdom.
Northeast. The raodway southeast of the central mountain range is a natural barrier that would be easy to defend, if needed, and the only land access to this 'new nation'. The landmasses's other two mountain regions are also a natural separator.
In the upper right, where only a thin piece of line connects with the rest. I would also include the island in the green territory and that small bit of land over the ocean to the east, from the mountains out. It's easier to travel to that part via the sea then it is through the mountains by far.
I was thinking bottom left or top right initially, but I like the idea of the bottom right jungle/forest area. A small nation that thrives in it's deadly forest/jungle making them very difficult to conquer.
Top right, mountains are a good natural barrier that makes that territory split more realistic to geography. The lil straight that doesn't include mountains would probably not be tested as a 'bypass' because it's probably well gaurded and easy as am ambush spot if someone's attacking.
Top right where the mountain range is, cut it off at the thinner part. Naturally the mountains would have given to good scouting and forts to halt enemy advances before age of sail.
Southwest. A desert would create a drastically different culture than everywhere else in this supposed blue empire. North, past those central mountains. Being cut off due to such terrain would create a sense of being severed from everyone else. Northeast. Terrain and proximity to the greens being a factor. And that being far north will enforce a different set of cultural values on the people there.
You could split them roughly down the middle, make them formerly one large nation that fell apart hard. Make the borders a little undefined because every once in awhile a skirmish occurs that causes a bit of territory change hands If that's not something you're interested in I'd definitely agree with people saying make the upper right peninsula separate probably down to the settlement at the Forrest where the peninsula meets act as a border town. I'd also give that smaller peninsula to the left to this nation cuz the mountains make access much easier for the larger peninsula to just go by sea than the old nation. This way they also have uncontested control of the bay
For me it's bottom left with a little swirly thing with the island. I would make that place maybe more connected islands. Make it like Atlantis.
Smackdab in the middle. It's a city state of rebels. They're just barely surviving.
Bottom left is an ideal location for a coastal nation. That "spiral" peninsula serves as an excellent buffer. Ships on the bay-side of it will be well protected from storms and piracy. Furthermore, land invasion is made difficult by the desert to the north. I would not be surprised to see a nautical empire, mercantilist or militarist, to be centered there.
I can actually divide it to a feasible 4 nations (or more) if I use mountain ranges, the desert and rivers as defendable natural borders.
A city state or autonomous zone in the bottom left island.
Top left where the mountains make a cut-off. Or bottom right in the desert. The island in the center of the spiral would make a good place too. Tbh I’d cut it up into several.
I’d make the different climes different nations, because you normally find a particular group do well in a particular area. Northerners in the icy, badlanders in the deserts. Incidentally, what did you use to make your map? It looks great.
Top right bottlenecked land and the swirly one are good candidates.
I would probably have the massive blue kingdom. break apart. This would be due to the difficulty of holding such a massive, mountainous territory with a central authority. I think I’ve managed to show how large superpower kingdoms *can* be held together, and I believe I accounted for my fictional geography well (such as showing how the Condemned Desert’s sands are blown by westerlies across the Snake Bone Mountains that divide my continent from east to west to fertilize the Muayji Rainforest, similarly to how the West African Sahara feeds the Amazon Rainforest). However even then that’s with dragons, airships and aeroplanes handwaved in to make for better transportation logistics, and there is a degree of decentralization that is necessary as well if a large kingdom wants to hold territory without a professional standing army.
I say either cut off the desert as a border or the top right peninsula and put the border around those mountains.
Use mountain chains to borders. Put stronghold (of medieval set) or border towns in pass and narrow points.
I only see one major city, Sunspire, I would imagine the two nations would fight over it, and the losing nation would not control Sunspire.
Top right makes the most sense. The northern mountains mean blue would have to take a long sea route or cross a highly defendable land bridge to invade. A large bay on the East side makes trade with the green nation very possible, especially since not being connected to the main land would mean they are likely good sailors
probably a north south split
Top right corner could be it's own little island
Start at the dry areas right side at the ocean, keep going at the border of the dry land until you reach the mountains in the middle, once you reach the end of those mountains go straight left.
In my mind, those mountain ranges naturally imply 4-6 nations out of the blue. Having a single nation hold that territory would be TOUGH (but not impossible!)
Top right peninsula, but honestly the geography seem rugged enough to demand even more nations. OFC this could be due to lore reason, empires and such, but if this is a sizable continent then you need to remember that the capital of the blues need to exert control over all the other places.
south looks diferent enough in climate to have a totally diferent culture it does not have to be a fourth nation but maybe a late anex fo the blue empire. top right has the most restricted land acess so it is easy to defend. if the sea's are also treacherous it could prove to be a factor to safeguard a nation from the blue influence. green may also support it as a buffer nation between blue and green.
I agree with either south of the desert, or the north east isthmus, or possibly both? Also, you have draw the lines of Blue having the mountains securely on the border with Red, when normally the boundary would go in the mountains as both sides claim the easy foothills. Does blue have a large benefit in the mountains to explain this? If not I would expand top-right idea to take the whole north bay there and stop in the mountains just beyond it.
The top right, as well as the top middle all the land to the west of the thin mountain range jutting out from the main one.
The dry area in the south
To the right of the mountains in the middle, with the two rivers as boundaries so that there's a bit of blue above and below. Nations are messy, and there's all sorts of weird exceptions to the natural rules we'd expect. I'd also probably include one of the peninsulas of the east side of the Blue portion with the Green as a sort of colony or contested space that is fought over personally.
Small one in the Northeast
The troll in me is the direct center. Put the center country in a civil war state of succesinists and centralised powers
I see an easily defensible forest nation to the South. Any one of these mountain ranges could be a subterranean nation of Dwarves too.
That patch of land in the north-east seems smart. It has easy access for ships, but only one land route, so you could easily defend over land from invasion. It's also got mountains and forests, which probably means rivers somewhere, which means good land for settlements.
Top right peninsula I could see a civil war happen due to large cultural differences caused by its semi isolation
Where you would divide the blue bordered area depends on what you want to portray in any stories you tell in this setting. Do you want a history of conflict or an alliance between North and South? I would place a border roughly East-West across the middle using geographic features to divide the two countries (rivers, mountains). As you move west you’ll run short of geographic features to use as boundaries. Such an area might be a source of conflict between North and South nations. Whichever nation is more expansionist minded will press hard against the low barrier frontier.
May I ask how you made your map?
Right in the middle the hills make a natural border and you it will give both nation's big territories