I scanned the comments below the World Map (
page 66, 20-Feb-2014) today, so let me copy them here ... :
((045))minnasundbergSvalbard was too "pointless" for them to cram in on a map like this, and too far north to fit anyway.
There's no settlements on the islands and there hasn't been a need to raid the seed vault yet.
((046))On the switch from IntenseDebate to Disqus:
minnasundbergYeh, but I prefer having to click "show more comments" once every ~40 comments or so rather than "show comment thread" on every other comment. I might switch back if ID gets updated, but I'm not holding up hopes for that anymore. Its development seems to be in a limbo. :/
On the possibility of settlements not shown in said map:
((047a))Specifically, on Scotland and England:
minnasundbergThere's actually a few in-story reasons!
1: WAY too high overall population density (which is also why the southern parts of the Nordic countries are empty) which is VERY bad for reasons to be revealed.
2. Too far south and therefore not cold enough winters. Also very bad for reasons to be revealed.
3. Not strong enough natural defenses. For example all the Finnish settlements that exist are located on islands surrounded by labyrinths of lakes and the Norwegian ones in fjords shielded by the sea and high mountains. Very good for reasons to be revealed!
And small surviving populations on those little Scottish islands and stuff have moved to the larger/safer Nordic settlements decades ago.
((047b))minnasundbergEhh, I wanted to write a Nordic postapocalyptic story, and therefore I've established survival lines and story concepts that let me do that. Not really trying to discriminate against Anglophones or anything.
((047c))minnasundbergOf course there still COULD be surviving populations anywhere in Europe, especially in the mountains.
((048))minnasundberg[...] And yup, lots of research! I had a huge excel file with suitable places (+ population statistics) that I scouted out over a year ago, and I've been gradually revised and edited that list for when I'd eventually put this map together.
((049))minnasundberg"Known" in this context simply means that there's some kind of official data on the current state of the area. People (at least the academics) do know that there's huge continents out there far, far away, but it's all part of the Silent world as far as they are concerned since no-one's scouted that far. Most of the dark areas on this map don't even count as part of the known world.
((050))minnasundbergYou're very correct in your assumptions. I'll eventually make an illustrated chart of the most common professions in each category, but peasants is mostly farmers, (food)hunters, fishers and craftsmen, while academics are the properly educated people like doctors, skalds (historians) scholars(scientists and researchers), mechanics and politicians. And military is pretty self-explanatory.
((051))minnasundbergI have a pretty fleshed out story arc in my mind about a VERY far away journey for our heroes, but first there's so many places to visit and stories to be told just in the Nordic area that it''s not on the agenda just yet.