D&D General Country size and population density of the Flanaess (Greyhawk)

[Longetalos]

Hey all,

In case anyone is adventuring in Greyhawk, I put together a spreadsheet showing the size (in square miles and km) of each country and geographical feature (mountain range, forests, etc) of the Flanaess. I then added in the population values from the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and calculated the population density of each country.

If you are interested in the excel sheet it can be found on Canonfire.com under the Downloads and Maps section.
http://www.canonfire.com/cf/modules.php ... load&cid=4

Rich "Longetalos"

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Thanks for your hard work and for sharing, Longetalos, I find this very useful.

The most surprising finding is that... most countries in the Flanaess have a lower population density than Canada (which has a population density of 4 people per square km)???

That strikes me as unlikely... and a strike against Pluffet Smedger, the Elder's sources!

This should generate interesting discussions regarding census data gathering methods in the Flanaess!

 

[Pauln6]

Thanks for your hard work and for sharing, Longetalos, I find this very useful.

The most surprising finding is that... most countries in the Flanaess have a lower population density than Canada (which has a population density of 4 people per square km)???

That strikes me as unlikely... and a strike against Pluffet Smedger, the Elder's sources!

This should generate interesting discussions regarding census data gathering methods in the Flanaess!

If I recall, the figures will be an under-estimate since they are prepared by the human authorities. They don't take into account humanoids and the demi human demographics are unreliable. There is a lot of wilderness.

 

[Shiroiken]

Much of even the most "civilized" regions are still largely empty outside of the main roads. This is why you have bandits and monster encounters within places like Furyondy, Nyrond, Keoland, etc. IIRC they attempted to make a change in 3E to balance it out better, but it was still underpopulated. I agree that it mostly counts only humans, with demi-humans counted only if they live in a human settlement. Humanoids wouldn't be counted at all except in evil countries.

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Much of even the most "civilized" regions are still largely empty outside of the main roads. This is why you have bandits and monster encounters within places like Furyondy, Nyrond, Keoland, etc. IIRC they attempted to make a change in 3E to balance it out better, but it was still underpopulated. I agree that it mostly counts only humans, with demi-humans counted only if they live in a human settlement. Humanoids wouldn't be counted at all except in evil countries.

That's a fair point.

I also wonder if, for one reason or another, the count might exclude children and others who may not have voting rights (e.g., thralls, slaves, convicts, etc.), or other classes of people "not deemed worthy" of being recognized as people by the ruling factions?

 

[Bupp]

Check out these pieces on the subject.

The Howling Emptiness of the World of Greyhawk

“ Humankind is fragmented into isolationist realms, indifferent nations, evil lands, and states striving for good...Nomads, bandits, and...

hillcantons.blogspot.com

Postscript on Greyhawk's “Howling Emptiness”

Yesterday's post set off a rather longish discussion and thought train—oh we are a nerdy crew. A few more points before I let go of this. ...

hillcantons.blogspot.com

The main crux is in the comments.

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Thanks for the links, Bupp! Interesting stuff!

 

[Silvermane85]

Thanks for your great insights. If you don't mind, I have taken the liberty of building off your work and adding some Folio/From the Ashes era population figures to the spreadsheet. I then used the data to color a population density map of the Flanaess. You can see the results on my blog: Greyhawk Facts: the Howling Emptiness of the Flanaess

 

[TwiceBorn2]

Thanks for your great insights. If you don't mind, I have taken the liberty of building off your work and adding some Folio/From the Ashes era population figures to the spreadsheet. I then used the data to color a population density map of the Flanaess. You can see the results on my blog: Greyhawk Facts: the Howling Emptiness of the Flanaess

Interesting! Any chance you'll create another map to reflect the LGG population data, as well? Or has that already been factored into your post-war population density map of the Flanaess?

 

[S'mon]

Check out these pieces on the subject.

The Howling Emptiness of the World of Greyhawk

“ Humankind is fragmented into isolationist realms, indifferent nations, evil lands, and states striving for good...Nomads, bandits, and...

hillcantons.blogspot.com

Postscript on Greyhawk's “Howling Emptiness”

Yesterday's post set off a rather longish discussion and thought train—oh we are a nerdy crew. A few more points before I let go of this. ...

hillcantons.blogspot.com

The main crux is in the comments.

Howling wilderness settings are fine - Wilderlands, Nentir Vale/Points of Light, most of the Forgotten Realms - but they don't fit the high medieval Greyhawk aesthetic. Why would nations have defined borders and fight over territory when they have far more internal wilderness than they could ever utilise?