The World of 2100

Physical Sciences | Biological Sciences | World Sociology
Europe | North Africa & Middle East | Southwest Asia | Sub-Saharan Afria
Far East | Oceania | Americas | Lunar/Orbital Colonies

Physical Sciences
     While advanced ceramics and crystals (many of the latter manufactured in the zero-g environment of the orbital colonies) are an important part of many machines and constructions, metals are still the cheapest major construction material. New mining methods (including metal extraction from sea water) allow much greater efficiency in obtaining metals with little damage to the environment. Materials with amazing tensile strength are routinely built; it is theorized that a surface to orbit beanstalk might just be possible, though no one has any plans to construct one. Lunar scientists are working on new substances made from rocks which may revolutionize the materials industry.
     Fusion plants provide the majority of Europe's power. While ion engines are common in space, they are considered too dangerous to use for large-scale power and are relegated to use as propulsion systems. Fusion plants are usually located on the coasts next to the desalinization plants, extracting deuterium from the desalinized water.
     Large scale weaponry (artillery, missiles, naval ships) has almost disappeared from use. However, industrial and communication lasers and ion drives are common and could be easily modified into make-shift weapons of mass destruction. Such systems are heavily guarded to prevent improper use.
     Maglev trains have become the standard mode of transportation. Vacuum tunnels crisscross Europe allowing long-distance trains to run at speeds in excess of 1000 kph. Surface trains serve regional traffic, while electric street cars carry local travellers. Air travel is expensive and is mainly used only for passenger flights to North Africa and Iceland or suborbital flights from Europe to far eastern Siberia. (Underwater maglev lines already cross the English channel, the Oresund Strait, the Skaggerak, and the Dardanelles. A maglev line from Sicily to Tunis is under construction, while a line from Greece to Egypt is in the planning stages.) Ships with nearly frictionless hulls carry cargo across the seas, including the new sea lanes of the Northeast Passage. The burning of fossil fuels has been banned by all industrialized nations.
     Travel to orbit and the moon has become routine: dozens of ion ships launch and land each day. A trip to the orbital colonies lasts only a few hours (mostly spent in docking maneuvers), while a typical lunar flight takes anywhere from twelve hours (at full thrust; an extremely expensive and uncomfortable exercise) to eight days (for a minimum boost cargo pod). Railgun/slingshot launch technology is still around (and would be very cheap for non-fragile cargo), but no facilities currently exist due to the lack of a suitable equatorial site. Manned trips have been made to Mars, Mercury and the asteroid belt. Many groups are planning permanent mining settlements in the asteroids; the Soviets also hope to construct a mining base on Mercury in the near future.

Biological Sciences
     The greenhouse effect has run amok, but is finally slowing down. Planetologists estimate that if there are no further disturbances to the environment, global warming should cease in twenty years and begin to reverse itself, though the Earth will take upwards of three centuries to return to its pre-industrial temperatures. It will be many milennia before the polar icecaps completely return, normalizing sea levels. In the meantime, climates and weather continue to shift erratically.
     Man and climactic shift have obliterated much of the natural ecosphere. Genetically modified plants and animals are being used to reconstruct the ecology of many areas. Fast-growing trees are already rebuilding the forests at a phenomenal rate. Biologists have learned much and are now able to regulate local ecologies and nurture regrowth. Unfortunately this only occurs in the industrialized and semi-industrialized nations. Over much of the world there is no effective civilization to control the changes and mutant wildlife has run amok.
     The average lifespan in Europe has reached 115 years. Though there have been no breakthroughs in halting the aging process, organs cloned from the donor's own cells allow replacement of many worn out body parts, while modern medicine and cosmetic surgery can keep most people fit and youthful-looking well into their 80's. All but a handful of rare diseases have been wiped out.

World Sociology
     The world has essentially split into two societies - the industrialized nations of Europe and North Africa, and the impoverished peoples of the rest of the world, each with about half of the world's population. (A belt of semi-industrialized nations exists in central Asia, the Middle East and Africa, while a few areas elsewhere have begun to trade with Europe.) While the Europeans enjoy the highest standard of living ever achieved on this planet, the balance of the human race struggles daily for survival.
     European Society - The world of 2100 is almost a utopia for the people of Europe and North Africa. Automated factories provide wealth for all; less than 5% of the labor force works in the industrial sector. Most people work in service industries such as medicine, education, entertainment, or finance. Despite a 24 hour work week, 65% of the adult population does not have a regular job - most of these people are in school, retired, or work at home as housekeepers and child-rearers, though these jobs are no longer gender based. (The average person changes sex once every 15.4 years.) Even those who work for a company often work at home through telecommunications and remote control of machinery. Those who do go to an office can easily commute hundreds of miles in less than an hour. Group families with 3 to 7 adults are the norm. The birth rate is low and children receive lavish attention and personal care. The average person spends the first 26 years of his life in school; adult education is also quite common. Most people speak three or more languages and have at least one graduate level degree. While liberal versions of Catholicism, Islam and Gaeanism are still common (especially in the Mediterranean region), the majority of the European population consists of agnostics or atheists. Tolerance, environmentalism, and a healthy distrust of military solutions are strongly imbedded in the modern European culture; almost half of the EC's population can remember the cataclysm of 2060 and they are determined not to let it happen again.
     Society Elsewhere - Four out of five children die before the age of 5; those who survive have an average lifespan of about 35 years. Most people work from dawn to dusk at subsistence-level agriculture and are completely at the mercy of erratic climate shifts and the uncontrolled spread of altered species; famine is common. Gangs of bandits wander from place to place, looting and pillaging. Feudal lords, basically bandits who have settled down, rule much of the land. These petty warlords, backed by bands of henchmen, extort food and goods from the farmers and fight insignificant wars among themselves. Most of the people are ignorant and superstitious, though they do retain some scattered scraps of technology. Elders who remember the old days before the cataclysm still keep society in touch with some of its civilized roots, but the younger generations have grown up in a very different world: few of them have ever been more than a day's walk from their home village and they know nothing beyond their own limited existence.
     Total World Population = 2,434,000,000. Entries for individual nations below list population and relative per capita income.

Europe and Associated States
      Soviet Union (west of the Urals) - 201 mln. Rich. The dominant nation of 22nd century Europe. The Soviet Union has the largest population, the most resources, and the largest high-tech industrial base in the world. Students from throughout the civilized world come to study in Soviet technical universities. The Soviet military is equal in size to all of the other EC armies combined and has kept the peace in Europe for forty years. The Soviet Union is also the site of most space travel construction and launch facilities. The modern Soviet Union is a federal republic divided into fourteen states and provinces; the Ukrainian Republic has a special semi-independent status.
      Switzerland - 11 mln. Wealthy. Despite its small size, Switzerland is one of the acknowledged leaders of the EC. What they lack in sheer quantity, they make up for in quality - Swiss products are at the cutting edge of modern science. In addition, what the Soviet Union is to technology and industry, Switzerland is to economics and politics. The Swiss dominate the EC's financial markets and councils, while their merchant fleets dominate world trade - the Mediterranean has often been called a Swiss Lake. Geneva and Zurich are usually recognized as the unofficial political and financial capitals (respectively) of the EC.
      Franco-German Confederation (Gaul) - 191 mln. Rich. A federal democracy with five constituent republics. The Franco-German Confederation has recently grown to rival even the Soviet Union and Switzerland as a leader of the EC. However, its people are still divided and the country can rarely make a united stand on most matters. The five republics are: Provence - The former lands of southern France, now mostly populated by North African and Mideast immigrants. While adherence to conservative Islam is minimal, the people still retain a distinctly Moslem culture. France - The majority of historic France, the agricultural heartland of the Confederation. Modern France is only sparsely populated. Benelux - The former lands of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Flanders. Much of this land has been lost to sea-level rise, and Benelux is characterized by a vast, urban sprawl. Brussels, the capital of the Confederation, has a metropolitan population of 30 million, the largest city in the world. Germany - The northern lands of historic Germany, this nation is the industrial center of the continent, with factories spreading from the Rhine to the Oder. Austria - A quiet backwater, Austria is known for its tourist industry.
      Italy - 86 mln. Rich. 22nd century Italy has a mostly Moslem population. Freedom of religion is practiced, however, and Rome once again houses the European Pope (as opposed to the American Pope in South America).
      Iberia - 65 mln. Rich. Iberia also has a large Islamic population, descended from North African refugees. The Iberians lead the EC in trade and exploratory missions to the rest of the world.
      Great Britain - 51 mln. Rich. Under the guidance of King Edward X, Britain is a dynamic member of the EC. After the cataclysm, Britain's natural ecology was almost wiped out by out-of-control genetically modified plants and animals; they are now the leading nation in ecological reconstruction.
      Scandinavia - 33 mln. Wealthy. A federal union of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Denmark (now a series of islands), The Scandinavian Union is one of the richest nations in the world with an economy based on heavy industry, mining and fishing. Scandinavia tends to remain somewhat isolated from continental European politics. Greenland is also part of Scandinavia and has a rapidly growing population mining the lands uncovered by the receding glaciers. The Scandinavian population is the fastest growing in the EC, mostly due to immigration.
      The Baltics - Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are all closely allied and form a minor voting block in the EC councils. They tend to be very conservative and often side with the Scandinavians. Poland - 36 mln. Rich. Lithuania - 4 mln. Rich. Latvia - 3 mln. Wealthy.
      Central Europe - These nations retain very close political and economic ties to Switzerland. As the crossroads of Europe, they are culturally diverse, the center of the new united European culture. West Germany - 36 mln. Rich. Czechoslovakia - 15 mln. Rich. Hungary - 11 mln. Rich. Carpathia - 10 mln. Prosperous. Croatia - 6 mln. Prosperous. Slovenia - 3 mln. Rich. Dalmatia - 2 mln. Wealthy.
      The Balkans - While an important part of Europe, the Balkan region remains politically volatile and, unlike elsewhere in the EC, there are still a lot of tensions between the nations. Greece - 20 mln. Rich. Greece draws its wealth from the Aegean: sea mining, aquaculture, and fishing. The diverse population is a mixture of Greeks, Turks, Egyptians, Africans, Italians, Romanians, Arabians, and Serbs. Romania - 10 mln. Prosperous. Sea level rise has badly hurt Romania: the lower Danube (including Bucharest) was flooded, and much of the surrounding lands have become unusable salt flats. Much of the population has emigrated to other countries. Serbia - 10 mln. Rich. Serbia is still divided by ethnic tensions, and a number of minorities (Macedonians, Kosvians, Bulgarians, Bosnians, and Turks) are agitating for independence. Bulgaria - 10 mln. Rich.
      Turkey - 25 mln. Above Average. Turkey is the poor man of the EC. While they participate actively in the Community, Turkey remains a somewhat backward land. The population has dwindled over the years as many Turks leave for better prospects elsewhere.
      Ireland - 5 mln. Prosperous. Ireland is very isolationist, and participates in few EC councils. The people are suspicious of foreigners and pride themselves on self-sufficiency.
      Albania - 2 mln. Average. Albania has remained completely outside the EC, closing its borders and having almost no contact with its neighbors. Most Europeans wonder what the Albanians are doing, hidden in their poor, mountainous country.

North Africa and the Middle Easts
      Egypt - 58 mln. Above Average . Modern Egypt has grown to encompass the upper Nile in Sudan. The poorest nation in North Africa, much of the native Egyptian population has emigrated to Europe. This has been balanced, however, by refugees from Arabia, East Africa and India, concentrated mostly in Cairo and the farmlands of the Red Sea. The Nile Delta is protected from the sea by huge earthenwork dikes up to 90 feet high in places.
      North African Confederation - 19 mln. Rich. The most prosperous nation in North Africa, the NAC is not only a rich agricultural nation, but also has a well developed industrial base.
      Algeria - 13 mln. Prosperous.
      The Caucasus - While only marginally in the EC, the nations of the Caucasus have been fairly successful in rebuilding since the cataclysm. Since then they have also developed close ties with the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan - 15 mln. Above Average. Armenia - 8 mln. Average. Georgia - 4 mln. Prosperous.
      The Fertile Crescent - Politics in this region have been dominated by two factors: large amounts of aid from the EC (mostly the Soviets) to sustain the food exports so vital to Europe, and large amounts of refugees from the south and east, fleeing the devastation of Arabia and India. These nations are still dealing with vast numbers of indigents unable to find jobs in the highly automated agriculture industry. Iraq - 36 mln. Below Average . Iraq's poverty problem is so bad that the government is almost a totalitarian state, despite protests from Europe. Syria - 18 mln. Average. Israel - 6 mln. Prosperous. Though predominantly Jewish, Israel has large minorities of other religions who have been successfully integrated into Israeli society. Jordan - 2 mln. Average. While not actually part of the historical fertile crescent, Jordan has become an agricultural exporter by annexing lands along the Red Sea, now cultivated with desalinized water.

Southwest Asia
      Kazakh Empire - 35 mln. Below Average. A military state dominated by an Islamic monarchy, the Kazakhs are bent on expansion and are continually either fighting wars of conquest with their southern neighbors or putting down uprisings among the Uzbeks and Khirgiz. Most of their arms are bought from the Soviet Union.
      Iran - 23 mln. Poor. Iran is a poor shadow of its former self. Depopulated and economically diminished by the cataclysm, the Iranians are desperately trying to stave off conquest by the Kazakh Empire by backing the Turkmen, Afghans and Baluchis.
      Turkistan - 2 mln. Below Average. A relatively prosperous republic on the shores of the Caspian, the Turkmen have been fighting for decades to stave off the Kazakh armies.
      Afghanistan and Kashmir - 14 mln. Destitute. Two allied nations which spend most of their time defending themselves from Kazakh invasions.
      The Baluchi Tribes - 3 mln. Poor. The Baluchis have returned to a basically nomadic existence, herding sheep and goats. Those sheep and goats, however, are a major export item to the Middle East, the Kazakh Empire and Europe. The Kazakhs have tried a number of times to conquer the Baluchis, but have failed consistently.
      Arabia - Most of the Arabian population died or fled the peninsula after the cataclysm. It is now mostly deserted except for a few nomadic tribes and Dislam. Arabian Tribes - est 2 mln. Destitute. Dislam - 2 mln. Poor. A collection of independent towns nestled in the ruins of the once world famous amusement park. Dominated by a wierd religion mixing Islam, Hinduism, and Disney movie characters.

Sub-Saharan Africa
      The Horn of Africa - East Africa has been a major recipient of refugees from Arabia and India. Only in recent years has technical help from Europe arrived to help repair the desalinization plants. Ethiopia - 20 mln. Poor. Eritrea - 9 mln. Average. Aden City States - 5 mln. Poor. A collection of tiny states along the Somali coast, inhabited mostly by former Arabians.
      The Gulf of Guinea - Small pockets of civilization have sprouted along the Guinea Coast, assisted by Iberian and Swiss traders. The nations are still mostly tribal kingdoms with little industry. Nigeria - 69 mln. Average. Nigeria had retooled many of its factories and desalinization plants with new parts from Switzerland just before the cataclysm, and was thus saved from many of its worst effects. Still, the economy fell apart and civilization collapsed in surrounding countries, and the Nigerian government turned to totalitarian tactics in order to control its population and prevent refugees from flooding into the country. Modern Nigeria is still ruled by an oligarchy. The nation is well on its way to recovery and trades extensively with Europe. Ashanti, Benin, Ewe and Akani - 18 mln. Below Average. These four nations are mainly puppet states of Nigeria, set up to control the restless masses on Nigeria's western border. The inhabitants are split between whether they want to gain full independence or join Nigeria as semi-autonomous states. The Guinea Kingdoms - 22 mln. Poor. 26 tiny kingdoms along the Ivory Coast. They include many refugees from the sunken lands to the north. Many have desalinization plants recently bought from Europe. The Gabon Kingdoms - 28 mln. Destitute. 10 kingdoms between Nigeria and the Congo River.
      South Africa - Seven nations in a state of almost constant warfare. Two of them still claim to rule the whole region. Fascist military governments are the rule. South Africa (East) - 6 mln. Destitute. The most aggressive of the nations, South Africa (East) includes the heavily populated centers around Johannesburg. South Africa (West) - 2 mln. Destitute. A rebel faction of the Johannesburg government which broke off in 2088. They claim to rule all of South Africa, but only control a small inland territory. Natal - 4 mln. Below Average. Centered around the fishing city of Durban, Natal is the richest South African province. Natal has close ties with Madagascar. Orange - 2 mln. Destitute. The people of Orange are in constant warfare with the two South Africas to the north and also have regular wars with Natal over border claims. Lesotho - 1 mln. Destitute. Still governed by their king, the Lesotho must continually fight for their independence. Cape Province - 2 mln. Destitute. Dominated by Afrikaaners, the Capesmen have reinstituted apartheid with a vengeance, almost bordering on slavery. They fight numerous racial wars with South Africa (West) and Orange. Kalahari - 1 mln. Destitute. An alliance of bushmen and whites who fled South Africa, the nation of Kalahari has a very naturalistic outlook and claims no borders. The nation mainly exists to protect its citizens from the armies to the south.
      Madagascar - 12 mln. Below Average. A very rich nation before the cataclysm, Madagascar managed to remain somewhat intact afterward. Though fishing is far less important than it was when they were exporting seafood to the world, the Malagasy fleet still dominates the Indian Ocean.
      The Uncivilized Portions of Africa - est 90 mln. Destitute.

The Far East
      Soviet Union (east of Urals) - 104 mln. Prosperous. The eastern Soviet Union is the source of much of the Soviets' mineral and agricultural resources, and the Soviet citizens are quite wealthy. However, almost half of the population consists of East Asian refugees, many of them now second or third generation immigrants, who live in vast slums and shantytowns on the southern borders of the Soviet Union. Thousands more arrive every month as desperate Asian families flee the ruins of the Pan-Asian lands for the safety of the Soviet Union.
      Tibet and Bhutan - 2 mln. Destitute. Two quiet agricultural kingdoms isolated high in the Himalayas. The Tibetans and Bhutanese have almost no contact with the outside world.
      Khorat - 14 mln. Poor. A large feudal kingdom, the Khorat kings, ruling from Ventiane, have united the Khorat Plateau and Mekong River Valley. The first kings were very aggressive, expanding their territory to its current size. The current king has concentrated on consolidating his holdings and developing trade with Annam and the Cantonese.
      Annam - 18 mln. Destitute. A collection of small independent communities in the hills of eastern Indochina. The people of Annam have been spared much of the chaos of the surrounding regions and now have an effective feudal society.
      Canton City-States - 24 mln. Poor. A scattering of independent towns along the Cantonese coast which have retained their local governments. The Cantonese city-states are islands of civilization in the ruins of China and make their living from agriculture, fishing, and trade between Annam and Khorat to the south and the barbarous farmers and tribes of China and Japan to the north.
      Hokkaido - 4 mln. Below Average. The provincial government of Hokkaido managed to retain control during the cataclysm and has rebuilt their society, even reestablishing some basic industries with Soviet aid. The Hokkaidans are quite strict about not admitting refugees to their island.
      Indian Subcontinent - est 200 mln. Destitute.
      China and Mongolia - est 300 mln. Destitute.
      Southeast Asia - est 100 mln. Destitute.
      West Pacific Islands - est 50 mln. Destitute. Includes Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea.

Oceania
      Fiji - 8 mln. Prosperous. The Fijians were the only society on Earth which didn't suffer from the polymer bacteria, though the resulting world economic collapse did hurt them. They have managed to prosper and have spread out to rebuild on Vanuatu and Samoa. Over half of the Fijian population lives in aquacities. The Fijians have radio communications with Europe and the rest of the world, but physically they are isolated and there is little actual contact with peoples beyond the South Pacific.
      New Zealand - 2 mln. Below Average. The government of New Zealand survived the cataclysm. In recent years they have begun to reindustrialize with help from Fiji. Tasmania also survived relatively intact and is now an autonomous province of New Zealand.
      Perth - 1 mln. Destitute. While most of the island-continent was devastated by the cataclysm, some civilization has reformed in southwestern Australia centered around Perth.
      Timor States - 5 mln. Destitute. The northwestern coast of Australia was relatively undamaged by the war, and some civilization has returned, consisting of five independent states along the Timor Sea. The population consists mostly of Australians of Chinese descent and more recent immigrants fleeing the destruction of Indonesia.
      Uncivilized Australia and misc. Pacific Islands - est 4 mln. Destitute.

The Americas
      Canada - 8 mln. Below Average. Centered around the city of Winnipeg, this nation claims to be the legitimate successor to the pre-war government of Canada, though the records are confused. In actuality they govern only a small portion of Canada but have managed to successfully rebuild much of their society and even some basic industry, mostly through trade with Scandinavia.
      Canadian Independent Communities - 24 mln. Below Average. Prosperous farming villages and ranches are scattered across most of the northern Great Plains. While nominally accepting the government in Winnipeg, these communities are essentially sovereign. Bandits from the Dakotas plague the communities, and vigilante justice and a "wild west" mentality are the rule.
      Alaskan Freeholds - 18 mln. Poor. As in the Canadian Great Plains, there are hundreds of independent farming and mining communities spread across Alaska. There is an annual assembly in Anchorage to discuss regional issues and problems, but this conclave, composed of any landowner who shows up, has limited authority and no ability to enforce its policies. Alaska has a large population of Asian immigrants concentrated mostly in Anchorage (where they are in the majority), though many have also settled on the newly fertile lands available due to global warming. There is some friction between Americans and Asians, but on the whole the Asians are accepted as fellow Alaskans.
      California - 5 mln. Destitute. The Californians are isolated from the rest of North America by the deserts to the south, the mountains to the east, and the radiation zones to the north. They have managed to retain a democratic representative government under primitive conditions and are working hard, with only limited success, to rebuild their nation. They have some contact with the Alaskan Freeholds.
      Newfoundland - 1 mln. Poor. The farming and fishing villages of Newfoundland have recently united and begun to trade with Scandinavia and Iberia. The Iberians have set up a permanent embassy in Saint John's and hope to use Newfoundland as a base for exploration down the Atlantic coast, reintroducing civilization, trade and technology to eastern North America.
      Cuba - 4 mln. Destitute. As in Newfoundland, the Cubans are rebuilding with the aid of the Iberians, whose base in Cuba serves their exploration ships in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.
      Yu-kin - 6 mln. Destitute. Severe rule by former Pan-Asian military units has kept together this nation in southern Mexico. The Asians have set themselves up as a ruling feudal aristocracy over the Indian and Hispanic peasants. Yu-kin has suffered a number of internal wars as the various ethnic factions among the Asians struggle for dominance. The current ruling council is dominated by the Japanese and Mandarins, though there are also powerful Hindi and Southeast Asian factions.
      Papal Union - 16 mln. Destitute. A vast territory under the loose organization of the Catholic Church based in the third Vatican in Neuquen. While various feudal and semi-democratic secular governments rule on a local level, the Church is accepted as the highest authority. The Papal Union has some limited contact with Europe (mostly Iberia and Switzerland) but is suspicious of outside influences. One tenth of the Papal Union's population consists of the enslaved descendants of Pan-Asian soldiers.
      Uncivilized North America - est 40 mln. Destitute.
      Uncivilized South America - est 80 mln. Destitute.

Lunar and Orbital Colonies
      Kosmoskaja Republic - 52,000. Rich. An independent nation and member of the EC formed by the survivors of the Soviet lunar colony's ten year isolation in space. The population includes former Russians, Americans, Asians and Arabians, and many recent immigrants from Europe. The actual colony covers only a fraction of the moon's surface, but claims jurisdiction over the entire satellite. This claim is disputed by most other EC nations, who continue to run their own mining stations without interference from the Kosmoj.
      The Pan-Asian League - 2,000. Above Average. The survivors of the once vast Pan-Asian space population, now living in four crowded orbital stations. They claim to be the true government of the entire Pan-Asian League. They survive partially by selling zero-g products to Europe, but mainly from handouts from the other space colonists, who consider them certifiably insane.
      Miscellaneous Stations - 41,000. Wealthy. Various orbital and lunar stations owned and operated by EC governments and corporations.