Forum:Territory application/UL18ag/ah - Geþeriu

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Please fill in the information below to make a territory request.

	Territory ID and proposed name
	The Territory ID (from OpenGeofiction:Territories, e.g. AR123a) and proposed name of the country

I am applying for territories UL18ah and UL18ag. The country will be named Geþeriu.

	Physical geography
	An overview of climate, topography and landscape of the country. It is advised to also create a sketch, you can add a link to this (hosted on imgur or similar)

The territory aims to resemble modern-day Baltic Poland and the Kaliningrad Oblast in terms of general habitability, albeit with more focus on deciduous land covers. A vast Bialowieza-style forest covers the southern part of the country, and a small range of Tatras-like mountains forms the northern edge of the country. Vast riverine wetlands form a buffer along the northern foothills of this small mountain range. Its coast is buffered by two large lagoons (imitating the real-world Vistula and Curonian lagoons) and sand dunes. Outside of these areas, the territory is generally flat and agricultural but punctuated by occasional sub-700m inselbergs. The country has rich wildlife populations and is located at the boundary between deciduous and coniferous forests. In addition to typical central/eastern European-type wildlife (elk, wolves, bears, deer, etc...), there are also wisents, feral horses and cattle, European asses, a forest subspecies of the Saiga antelope, and a "constructed species" of the world's northernmost giant tortoise (which I have given the "conname" of Macrochelys sambiensis and which burrows during the harsh Baltic-like winters).

A rough sketch of the country: https://imgur.com/a/6XU2b8h . Intended to provide general direction, but I can reduce real-world verisimilitude by modifying the specific coastline and other features.

	Human geography
	A brief description of the territory demographics, economic development, land occupation, infrastructure and mapping style

Geþeriu is a decentralized elective monarchy whose ancestral legal system is based on a modern adaptation of Germanic customary law. It has around 4.5 million inhabitants, 2 million of whom inhabit the general capital region. The historical or royal capital is named Glima, and less than 10 km away is the more modern and economic capital named Königsburg (yes, based on real-world Königsberg). Villages and towns in the country are marked by significant local agriculture and moderate degrees of rural poverty, and the decentralized government does a poor job of maintaining infrastructure here. The country was wrecked by a century of WWI and WWII-like conflicts and a Soviet-like occupation by a neighboring authoritarian regime, but has recovered in recent decades. Industry, wealth, and good infrastructure are concentrated along the densely-populated coast. In the countryside, there is a history of exporting oak lumber, ink, and pelts. Oats and rye are the primary dietary grains; pork, beef, chicken, and duck are the primary meats; heavy reliance on wild meats like venison and boar, as well as on garden and forest crops such as pine nuts, fungi, and berries.

	History & culture
	A brief description of the intended culture and language

The country is based on a hypothetical continuation of the real-world Gothiscandza, the area of modern-day Poland that the Goths and other East Germanic tribes first settled outside of Scandinavia in the early centuries AD. I have developed grammar and vocabulary for a conlang (called geþisg) to populate it. There is one major ethnic group: the geþan or geþisg-speaking majority of the heartland (descendants of Goths admixed with a pre-Indo-European-type native population). Agriculture was introduced rather late to this region and hunting-fishing-gathering economies were still fairly common among the peasantry until the late Medieval period. This ethnic group's primary religion is Catholicism and syncretized animist beliefs. Ancestor veneration and folk Catholic animism is common in the villages and oþalan or veneration grounds are common in the countryside. The country was historically also shaped by monasticism (based on real-world Teutonic Knights) and monasteries and convents are common in its heartland. Geþisg uses eth, thorn, and ash (ð, þ, æ) but no other special characters, and has also lost the Gothic or Ulfila script, although Gothic runes are still used in folk magic and folk Catholicism in the countryside.

However, there are also two German-speaking minorities: one agricultural and urban minority on the country's western regions that is based on real-world Baltic Germans, whose primary religion is Lutheranism with pockets of Catholicism, and another Low German-speaking ethnoreligious minority that is based on the real world Anabaptist communities of the Vistula delta. Finally, there are also small pockets of "Coronians" along the northern lagoon areas who speak a Baltic-based conlang (similar to real-world Curonians), and are also folk Catholics/animists.

	Past mapping
	To support your request provide links to areas of OGF mapping which showcase your mapping skill. Mapping relevant to the requested theme & geography is especially useful
	The {{coord}} template can optionally be used to link to the OGF map - it results in a nice formatted link. Or you can paste in a URL.

I've mapped English-language areas here https://opengeofiction.net/#map=12/13.0357/-114.3715 and here https://opengeofiction.net/#map=12/-38.5671/155.9228

	Username & date
	Sign and date the application by typing four tildes like this: ~~~~

Reviriegu (talk) 01:50, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

	Discussion
	Discussion for clarification & decision

Thank you for this impressive application. The application is approved. Please take particular note of the following:

• you are free to adjust the coastline by about 50 km in any direction from its current state, including smaller adjustments in the neighbouring territories to keep the larger picture coherent. For major reworks, please reach out to the regional admin (me...)
• As you point out, Geþeriu was originally developed in a real-world location. Be mindful in how to transpose the project onto OGF, so not to get in conflict with our [site policies|OpenGeofiction:Site policies]. Most importantly, imports from OSM or other mapping sources are forbidden. It is fine of course to find some resemblance of OGF features in the real world, such as a bay that looks kind of similar to a bay on the real world Eastern Sea Coast (just like in the real world, cities and natural features can look alike without actually being the very same). I'm confident that regarding names, you'll find it easy not to invoke a sense of originality as well.

Best of luck and happy mapping, Leowezy (talk) 20:23, 8 August 2022 (UTC)

	Territory application approved
	territory granted. Leowezy (talk) 20:23, 8 August 2022 (UTC)
	optionally useful information for the user