Forum:Ingerland/Introduction to the project

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Prelude

Ingerland is a country in northwestern West Uletha and is the homeland of the OGF equivalent of the English language and culture. The main parallel to Ingerland is England, not the United Kingdom. Like England, Ingerland is a major historical colonial power which has influenced a immense amount of the OGF world, in every corner of the world. Because of that, Ingerland can be considered one of the most important countries for OGF's in-universe history. This forum page should help all interested people meet at one place to discuss everything about Ingerland in-world, from geography and geology, to infrastructure and beyond. Should it be necessary or easier, discussions will be broken out into subforums.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Territory applications will not be approved without considering the national plans which are discussed below.

Timeline

• Now: Discussion of critical points below begins; former colonies begin submitting a priority list of toponyms and monarchs to include in the project
• 01 May: Users may begin applying for a region of Ingerland, but no applications will be approved prior to 10 May to allow for initial discussions; active applicants will be given priority in the decision-making process over the broader community.
• No later than 10 May: Final decisions on outline of geology, hydrology, and topography
• 25 May: Input from former colonies ends

Discussion

Geology, Hydrology, and Topography

This will be the most important part for starting up the project. A well planned geography of a nation opens doors to a lot of things in the later stages of the project. Send in your suggestions, preferably using pictures and discuss!

There are certain aspects of the national geography that are already set in place: The northwestern boundary of Ingerland, with Nordurland, is mountainous. The land boundary with Kalm is hilly. The eastern estuary does have lowlands and marshlands similar to a partially drained landscape of The Fens The eastern river in Region 14 and eastward should not have a dramatic course change

Discussion

There should be at least a low mountain range running from north to south of the country, maybe on the more western side. It kinda shows a ridge pattern that follows the islands and western side of Nordurland, and this mountain range might have affected the climate of the country like a rainshadow effect in real-world England. Senju (talk) 09:45, 29 April 2023 (UTC)

Just a note: from what was there before Andy left, the common border between all parts of his territories and Norðurland was completely mountainous. I have not mapped many details, but everything I did map so far took this into account. --EMKLI (talk) 20:11, 29 April 2023 (UTC)

History & human geography

Before we discuss modern issues, we need a solid historical and cultural coherency for the nation. Some things are clear, while some need to be discussed.

Certain things that are already established: Ingerland was a major colonial power Ingerland was a very wealthy nation which prospered from colonization and trade Its location is incredibly vital and it gives certain traits: The sea to the east suits Ingerland well as a defense mechanism against other invaders, and easy shipping connections to various nations in the Hetzer region and beyond - this would in turn mean that the east coast and surrounding areas are the main historical core of the country and that most of the country has grown from there. The vast open ocean to the west, blended in with the colonization era provides a hub for shipping, meaning historically the west coast (particularly southwest) would probably develop rapidly at that point of time, and remain a major trading and shipping hub in modern times as well. (This remains true whether the Western Continents are considered canon or not) The regions -98 and -99 have a very strong Celtic cultural image.

What to discuss: Origin of the nation, historical growth, influences by other nations Historical development - which areas grew at what period of time, different influences on a region's population and wealth like trading, wars, resources, etc. Population growth - where are the population centres? It is worth noting that since history is not always perfectly defined in our world, these should be subtle references, events and consensuses that are still notable enough for the development of the nation.

Discussion

All my territories have some sort of history with Ingerland, but all that's particularly important toponymically is the existence of a King Earnest at some point in the 1560s or 1570s. Otherwise, I've assumed that Ingerland would have established a sizable trade/colonial empire (perhaps including trade companies), beginning to branch into the Asperic and Lyc by the early 1500s. I don't have anything else to add at the moment, but maybe I'll come up with a history proposal at some point... --Lithium-Ion (talk) 19:53, 29 April 2023 (UTC)

Infrastructure

With the geography in place, and the history/movement of people determined, the next step is to connect the all the settlements. This includes national railways, highways (and trunks), national roads (mainly primary), important ports, airports. Lower levels of infrastructure such as public transportation should be decided in each region by its own owner, with the exception of the collaborative regions, where the community should be working together.

Please have in mind the transportation network of Nordurland and Kalm, the two mapped neighboring states!

Other topics

Something else on your mind? Write it here!