According to the Mexican Constitution, to be considered a citizen, you must have either several hundred ducats in property value, and you must be a Huguenot. The government’s power effectively resides, then, in the upper class Spanish descendents and the French immigrants.

Slave revolts are fairly common, and that has led to the develop of large state militias to control the slaves. In the aftermath of the revolution, fifteen thousand slaves and natives were killed.

Mexico produces a great deal of cotton, sugar, and has extensive mines of silver. Other cash crops, including small amounts of tobacco are grown, but inland cultivation requires extensive irrigation.

Mexico has uneasy relations with its neighbors. The British commonwealth, while not being opposed to slavery in and of itself (although that trend has been increasing) has protested the slave insurrections, which result in the escaped slaves fleeing to New Albion or the British territories in Louisiana. Furthermore, border clashes in New Albion are common.

The UPM has its capital in Mexico city, renamed Victory City (Ville de victoire).

The British Commonwealth is one of the strongest nations in the world. It has a claim of North America from coast to coast, although settlement is largely confined to the coasts. Gold from New Albion has helped to encourage the development of British factories, and has boosted the population on the west coast considerably. Fine wines and brandy are also produced there, and grain ships are beginning to sail from the west coast to Italy.

The Commonwealth has also developed colonies in South Africa, largely as a stopover on the way to India.

The British control northeast India, largely because when they took the region over, the Italians were busy elsewhere. They have not been dislodged since, and the Italians show no desire to do so. Textiles produced in the region help fuel the India trade, as does opium cultivation.

Taiwan is an important stop on the trade route to China, where the British and Italians both sell opium. Opium is used by approximately 50% of the Chinese officials, including the emperor (so it is rumored). Opium sales account for 1/7 of British revenues.

Britain itself has the strengths it had in OTL. Lumber from the new world is traded extensively, especially with Italy.

The government has increased suffrage to the middle classes over the past 40 years, and the Catholic Emancipation has helped to reduce tensions in Ireland.

The Commonwealth flag consists of an orange, white, and blue stripe. The reasons for these colors are unclear, but common legend suggests it helped solve the difficulty of who controlled what town in the British Civil war, when royalist forces rose a flag with the cross of St. George, St. Andrew, and the flag of Burgundy.

English is not the official language, but most of the country, including the low countries, speak it.

France has seen better days. Its Mediterranean coast was taken by Italy, its Mexican colonies have been lost, and only the core of the realm remains. To make matters worse, the country has suffered from bad harvests for the past several years.

The new King Louis promises a return to France’s place in the center of Europe, and is called "the Sun King". Louis has made overtures to Josef regarding an alliance.

Technically this should be several different sections, but for the sake of briefness I decided against it.

The Kingdom of Castille-Leon is ruled by Filipo, a Hapsburg. The country has suffered horribly economically, with huge fees going to churches and absentee nobles, who are exempt from tax. Phillip views Iberia as the rightful territory of the Christian Empire, which he hopes to resurrect. He too has courted Josef’s alliance, but unlike Louis, is aware he is surrounded by hostile neighbors.

The Confederation of Al-Andalus is doing surprisingly well. The country has been helped by Italian investment, and the mines help provide Italy with the ores she needs. They are strong proponents of the League, and the common language is Spanish.

The Republic of Barcelona leads Spain in developing industry, having the third highest concentration of steam engines in Europe (after England, and Italy). Coal mines are being developed.

The good news: Italy’s commercial empire is larger than ever, the new world is peaceful and prosperous, they haven’t lost to the Cossacks (haven’t won either, of course) and have developed weapons which dominate war. The Republic’s sciences and engineering are flowering, especially in the north and in Sicily. Southern Italy is relatively poor, but unlike in OTL where it had 5 centuries of Bourbon and Spanish mismanagement, it is doing relatively well. Religion has never been a problem for Italy, so the potential dividing line along the north and south over Protestantism and Catholicism never really emerged. Southern Italy, in fact, has provided a great recruiting ground for the army and for colonizing. Think a better off Ireland, and you’re fairly close in what southern Italy is.

Italian Brazil (Nuova Italia) is doing rather well, with the chief city of Berretta a thriving port. Coffee remains the greatest Italian drink, and thanks to improvements in transportation and productivity, is drunk by most of the nation.

Egypt has become relatively peaceful. If not enthusiastic about their Italian masters, most Egyptians see them as far better than any alternative. The regio has become more prosperous than any time since the 12th century, and has even become a recruiting ground.

In North Africa, the Berbers are raiding Italian holding, but Italian soldiers are crushing them when they meet. Some soldiers have noticed some black liquid, which has been identified as petroleum, in the region.

The Levant has settled down under Italian occupation. The prophecy that "better a heretic than a Greek" has come true. The Italians, not particularly caring how their subjects worship so long as they pay taxes, have ended the Byzantine persecution of the Muslims.

Crete and Cyprus, after several centuries of light ethnic cleansing (shipping the populace elsewhere) have become largely Italian in culture.

India has become very prosperous, especially in regards to the opium trade. Several ships have been wrecked off of Japan, and the harsh treatment of survivors has enraged many Italians.

The Italian East Indies are no longer as valuable as they once were, due to the spread of spice cultivation to elsewhere. Australia, in contrast, is attracting settlers, who each want their own ranch.

For the most part, Germans, Andalusis, Barcelonians, and even a few Armenians are welcome in Italian colonies. The Greeks are emphatically not, suffering from centuries of discrimination (witness the play the 4th crusade).

The bad news: Italy’s lack of resources is going to hurt it, especially in regards to coal. Importation can make up for some of this, but the country has to find a new source of fuel for its factories to remain competitive. The lack of lumber is also slightly hurting, but most Italians are confident about their future.

If only the Italians could find a source of fuel that they possess in abundance, they’d be set.

The Italian flag is the Lion of St. Mark.

The Holy Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, and then became the Empire of Germany. Amadeus II, Emperor of Germany, rules over the largest realm in Europe west of the Holy Empire. With the Empire centralize, Germany has become a powerhouse, blunting the Russian bear. Joseph has encouraged the development of industry in his empire, and is fascinated by the steam train he saw when in Bavaria.

Germany’s Reichstag has varying amounts of power. It is largely based upon the support of the middle class burghers, which the Emperors view as their base for power (stemming from their support of the cities, centuries ago). Nobles are left with little to do but increase their political capital to increase their influence amongst them.

German South America is doing pretty well, with grain helping to feed Europe, after the devastation of the Polish grain fields. Amadeus is a strong support of abolitionism, as he views the aristocrats in German South America and the Caribbean capable of following in Mexico’s footsteps.

When Pugachev conquered Constantinople, he united all the Orthodox faiths under one ruler. Ruling with an iron fist, he reformed laws throughout his realm, ironically breaking the backs of the nobles. The Greeks enthusiastically welcomed him.

His brother, Josef, continues ruling after him. Ruling such a massive empire requires a harsh rule, and the capital is in Constantinople. Joesf has begun persecuting the Catholics, who his brother welcomed into the realm.

The Empire is economically backward. The strength of the Empire rests on its massive army. The Empire is currently attempting to gain access to the Indian Ocean by subverting Persia and conquering Central Asia. This results in the "Great Game" between them and the Italians.

Josef is having problems, though, with nationalist revolts from the Poles, and the "brigands", as he calls them, in Armenia.

When the Holy Empire invaded Armenia to subdue the heretics, it got more than it bargained for. With the arrival of an Italian expeditionary force, the Armenians appointed their own king, Rafi, and drove back the Russians.

Today, the kingdom is a member of the League of Milano, and has grown by leaps and bounds since the end of the Byzantine restrictions on trade. A series of fortifications line its borders, and most Armenians own their own pneumatic rifles.

Armenia also rules Georgians, a few Assyrians, and Turks. The turks in Eastern Anatolia preferred Rafi to the Holy Empire, because of the heretical ideas (largely concerning Muhammed being a prophet and Jesus being the son of God) the Russians did not like.

This isn’t technically a nation, but it is more than an alliance. In the depths of the Cossack War, Italy, the Iberian republics, and the Empire of Germany formed a defense pact. The pact, known as the League of Milano, merged their navies and established a common market amongst the nations. Today the League focuses on containing Russian aggression across the world.

The Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Scandinavia have a similar, but more unofficial, arrangement. Both nations do not trust the League’s members.