List of fictional states of the United States

Last updated

This is a list of fictional states of the United States found in various works of fiction involving the states, insular areas, districts, reservations, or other unincorporated territories.

Contents

Fictional states of the United States

Fictional states are not as common as fictional cities, counties, or countries; often, a work will invent a fictional city and simply not reveal its state. Occasionally, however, a fictional state is created to house fictional cities, towns, or counties. Typically, a work that features a fictional state will also reveal the names of several cities within that state.

Existing states

Named U.S. states

Comics
Film
  • North Montana from Meet the Robinsons (2007); the former country of Canada, in the future.
Law
Literature
  • Catawba, in Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe, is a fictionalized North Carolina.
  • Dakota , in the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove. As a result of the Confederate victory in the War of Secession (1861–1862), Dakota remains one unified state instead of being split into two. Dakota becomes a stronghold of an ascendant Socialist Party, being the home state of one-term Socialist President, Hosea Blackford.
  • Deseret (in real-life, a provisional state proposed in by 1849 by Mormon pioneers)
    • In Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee, set in a reality where the Confederacy won the American Civil War and the United States became a dysfunctional rump state, is the only prosperous U.S. state, and the only place where polygamy is still practiced.
    • In Harry Turtledove's Southern Victory series, the Mormons attempt to gain independence for Utah as Deseret during the Second Mexican War (1881–1882) and the First (1914–1917) and Second Great Wars (1941–1944).
  • Dorado in I-0 (1997), a work of interactive fiction.
  • Euphoria, in the academic novels of David Lodge, based on California. It first appears in Changing Places (1975), much of which is set in Euphoric State University in the city of Plotinus, itself based on Berkeley, California. Euphoria is located between "North California" and "South California".
  • Fremont, a fictional state in James A. Michener's novel Space (1982) located roughly along the border between Kansas and Nebraska, that is meant to stand for the American midwest in general. The origin of its name is clearly stated: "Fremont was the most typical of the great Western states. Named for the flamboyant explorer John Charles Fremont, it had honoured in its four major cities those outstanding politicians of the early 19th century whose interest in the West had helped that vast area become an integral part of the nation." (Webster, Calhoun, Clay, Benton – note the relationship with respectively the two great political parties of the US.) [1]
  • Hohoq, popularly known as Ar in John Hodgman's The Areas of My Expertise (2005), is a large flying state inhabited by a mix of German-American settlers and bird people known as Thunderbirds. It refuses to send a delegate to the United States Congress but provides the federal government with an annual tribute of bauxite. State Motto: "Please do not seek us".
  • Houston, in the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove. Named after Sam Houston, the western portion of Texas is taken from the Confederate States by the United States after the First Great War (1914–1917) is won by the Central Powers. Its capital is located in Lubbock. Following the First Great War, Houston is in a state of near-constant unrest and elects Freedom Party candidates to the US Congress because of citizens' desires to be restored to the Confederacy. After Union President Al Smith agrees to Confederate President Jake Featherston's request to hold plebiscites in former Confederate states for readmittance into the Confederacy, Houston is readmitted as part of Texas; however, after the Second Great War (1941–1944) and the annexation of the Confederacy by the United States, Houston is recreated and readmitted as a state of the Union, with the independence of the Second Republic of Texas being put into doubt.
  • Jefferson, in a series of short works called the State of Jefferson Stories by Harry Turtledove. Based on the borders of the proposed Pacific state, this version was created from parts of northern California and southern Oregon in 1919 rather than in 1941. The state's capital is located in Yreka. Moreover, sasquatch are real, sentient, and are regular members of Jefferson's society.
  • Michisota, a fictional state in Lisa Wheeler's children's book Avalanche Annie: A Not-So-Tall-Tale that is a cross between Michigan and Minnesota, has snowy weather, and a mountain called Mount Himalachia.
  • Mickewa, a state represented by Senator Elias Gotobed, in Anthony Trollope' novel The American Senator (1877).
  • New Leicester, in My American by Stella Gibbons. The eponymous American comes from "Vine Falls, Paul County, New Leicester".
  • New Mexico , in the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove. As a result of the Confederate victory in the War of Secession (1861–1862), the State of New Mexico encompasses the real-life states of New Mexico and Arizona. Following the First Great War (1914–1917), sections of US-occupied Sonora (a Confederate state) were annexed to New Mexico.
  • Ochichornia, in Vasily Aksyonov's semi-biographic novels and stories, relates to the popular Russian song "The Dark Eyes" ("Очи черные", "Ochi Chernie" in Russian). [2]
  • Oconee, a fictional southern state tucked between Georgia and Tennessee, which appeared in Michael Bishop's satirical superhero/fantasy novel Count Geiger's Blues . The story is set in Oconee's largest city, Salonika, a Metropolis-like stand-in for Atlanta.
  • Pennsyltucky , a state referenced in Tiny Cracker Zoo, by Christopher Master.
  • Sequoyah , in the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove. A Confederate state in this timeline, Native Americans enjoy a large degree of autonomy in this state and are generally respected by white Confederates. The state is annexed by the United States along with Houston and Kentucky after the First Great War (1914–1917). C.S. President Jake Featherston successfully persuades U.S. President Al Smith to hold referenda in these states to return them to the Confederacy; only Sequoyah votes against re-entry into the Confederacy, becoming one of several casus belli of the Second Great War (1941–1944) in North America.
  • Toxoplassachusetts, the state occupied by the "toxoplasmodic hivemind", which constitutes 1/3 of the U.S. population, in John Hodgman's That Is All. [3]
  • Udana. Made up of Utah and Montana, a location on the itinerary of Humbert-Humbert, in Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955).
  • Washagon, a state referenced in Robert Grudin's Book: A Novel (1992), clearly a portmanteau of Washington and Oregon.
  • Winnemac , in the novels of Sinclair Lewis. Several of his novels are set in the Winnemac town of Zenith, and the University of Winnemac is located in Mohalis. Winnemac is bordered by Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.
Radio
Theatre
  • Missitucky, in the Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow (1947), with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, which follows one Finian McLonergan from Ireland in the town of Rainbow Valley in the mythical state of Missitucky, intent on burying a stolen pot of gold in the shadows of Fort Knox, in the mistaken belief it will grow and multiply. The name is a portmanteau of Mississippi and Kentucky.
Television
  • Delmarva, the state in which Beach City is located in Cartoon Network series Steven Universe . [4] It is based heavily on a peninsula with same name, the meeting point of Delaware, far eastern areas of Maryland, and a small portion of Virginia.
  • Kentarkansas, a made-up state in the series All Hail King Julien from Netflix. Its name is based on the U.S. states of Kentucky and Arkansas.
  • Keystone, from Keystone Motel (2015); a Steven Universe episode. A fictional version of Pennsylvania.
  • Moosylvania , from Jay Ward's Rocky and Bullwinkle television series. This state has been contested by the U.S. and Canada in two episodes of the series, "Moosylvania" and "Moosylvania Saved". The U.S. says it is a province of Canada, while Canada says it is a U.S. state. It is an island in the middle of western Lake Superior. Bullwinkle is governor of Moosylvania. The state's official sport is farkling. Jay Ward even tried to make the 51st state, which he called "Moosylvania", by claiming an island off the coast of the U.S. and Canada for himself and promoting it all over the country. When Ward and his publicist, Howard Brandy, arrived at the White House gate with a proposal and signed petition, the guards told them to leave due to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  • New Delaware, mentioned in a January 16, 2013, episode of The Daily Show as a state that doesn't exist anymore—an example for Senate officials who "pick up the wrong state to change the rules with". [5]
  • New Troy
  • North Texas is referenced on Fringe as a state in the show's alternate universe. A brief shot of a map shows that the Dakotas, Carolinas, and Virginias are each one state, Texas is split in two, Kansas and Oklahoma are combined into a state called "Midland," and the western half of California is missing from the map, although whether the coastline is still part of Mexico or has sunk into the sea is unclear.
  • Oklachusetts, from the Seth MacFarlane animated short The Life of Larry (1995). Larry, who would later become Peter Griffin in Family Guy , described it as "where the wind comes sweeping down the Pike".
  • Statesota is the state in which Moralton is located in the Adult Swim series Moral Orel . Based on the overhead map viewable during the show's opening credits, Statesota is made up of much of western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
  • Wichita, appears in the Spanish humor sketch program La hora de José Mota. Its capital city has the same name: Wichita.[ citation needed ]
Video games
  • Temperance ( Gangsters 2 ) has an eastern coastline and includes several large islands. It is made up of a combination of urban and upstate areas. The architecture and in particular civic institutions like the police seem largely based on Illinois. It was a dry state during Prohibition.[ citation needed ]

Unnamed U.S. states

  • Cherokee State appears on the license plates on the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle ; this is likely intended to be a state nickname.[ citation needed ]
  • Eagle State likewise appears on license plates on the television series Desperate Housewives .[ citation needed ]
  • Hooterville, claimed in an episode of Green Acres "A Home Isn't Built in a Day" (S02 E11) to be a state named after Rutherford B. Skrug, its first governor. In the Green Acres episode "One of Our Assemblymen is Missing" (S01 E06) Oliver Douglas visits the unnamed state's governor, who presents him with a souvenir of "The Kangaroo State", a toy kangaroo. However, Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies place Hooterville in Missouri.[ citation needed ]
  • Sideburn State appears on license plates on the television series The Adventures of Pete & Pete .[ citation needed ]
  • Sill. is the abbreviation for the state containing Lichfield in the works of James Branch Cabell.[ citation needed ]
  • Unnamed State in The Simpsons contains Springfield, Shelbyville, and Capital City from The Simpsons . Producer/director David Silverman once unofficially named Springfield's setting as being in the fictional state of North Takoma. In the episode "Duffless" Homer's driver's license states that the postal abbreviation of their home state is "NT". In "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington", there is a montage with essayists from different states presenting their work, while the camera pans over a U.S. map. When the map moves to Springfield for Lisa's contribution, we can see the abbreviation "NT" over the state that Springfield is in. In The Simpsons Movie (2007), Flanders and Bart are at the top of a mountain, where Flanders states you can see the four states that border Springfield: Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky. In the episode "Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade", it is stated that the state bird is the pot-bellied finch, the state pasta is futicelli, and the state flag is a Confederate flag rising above an ocean (an embarrassment considering this state was Northern). However, in the episode "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish", the flag of the state is depicted as a green, white, and red triband with a blue star and the caption "NOT JUST ANOTHER STATE". The state practices capital punishment.
  • Unnamed State in Joe Klein's 1996 novel and 1998 film Primary Colors , also referred to in the sequel The Running Mate (2000), is a small southern state and home to Governor Jack Stanton (D), whose hometown is Grace Junction. Its capital is Mammoth Falls. Unnamed State is allegorical to Arkansas, and Jack Stanton represents Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. In the film, the state flag as seen waving from the gubernatorial mansion appears to resemble the Confederate battle flag albeit with the colours red and blue inverted.
  • Unnamed State in Joe Klein's novel The Running Mate (2000) is a Midwestern state and the home state of Senator Charlie Martin (D). Des Pointe is the state capital, largest city and hometown of Senator Martin, but many other locations in the state are mentioned. Industrial centers are Port Sallesby and Singer Rapids. Stated to have 53 counties. Charlie Martin is partially based on Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey, but Nebraska and several other Midwestern states are mentioned separately, leaving the identity of Martin's home state unclear.
  • Unnamed State, in Sinclair Lewis' novel It Can't Happen Here (1935), is a Western state and home state of dictatorial President Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip. Windrip's secretary and chief assistant Lee Sarason is described as having been, at the beginning of Windrip's rise, managing editor of the most widely circulated paper in this state's region.


Alternative representations of The United States

51st state

"51st state" (and related terms) has been used in books and film, usually in a negative sense:

North American Union

The flag used in alternate histories where the American Revolution either failed or never occurred, such as The Two Georges, is like the US Grand Union Flag. Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
The flag used in alternate histories where the American Revolution either failed or never occurred, such as The Two Georges, is like the US Grand Union Flag.
The Two Georges world map: British Empire (red); Franco-Spanish "Holy Alliance" (pink); Portuguese territory (orange); Austrian Empire (purple); Sweden (green); Danish Empire (cyan); Russian Empire (indigo). 2georges.PNG
The Two Georges world map: British Empire (red); Franco-Spanish "Holy Alliance" (pink); Portuguese territory (orange); Austrian Empire (purple); Sweden (green); Danish Empire (cyan); Russian Empire (indigo).
Territorial evolution of the Confederation of North America in the world of For Want of a Nail. Sobel North America.gif
Territorial evolution of the Confederation of North America in the world of For Want of a Nail.
  • North American Union , a theoretical economic and political union of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The concept is based on continental union-theory (such as the European Union), occasionally including a common currency called the Amero or the North American Dollar. A union of the North American continent, sometimes extending to Central America and Union of South American Nations, has been the subject of academic concepts for over a century, as well as becoming a common trope in science fiction.
  • The Hunger Games – The nation of Panem rules North America in place of the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico, which failed to survive. [7]
  • The Two Georges – For more than two centuries, what would have become the continental United States, Canada and Baja California has been the North American Union, a self-governing dominion encompassing the northern portion of the continent except Alaska, retained under the rule of Russia. The Two Georges, a Gainsborough painting, commemorates the agreement between George Washington and King George III that created this part of the British Empire. The painting itself has become a symbol of national unity. The NAU comprises several provinces.
    • Albertus: Encompassing Alberta and west-central Montana, it is named after Prince Albert
    • Baffin: Encompassing the North West Territories (minus the southeastern section) and northwestern Nunavut as well as the Victoria and King William Islands
    • Banksia: Analogous with Yukon
    • Canada: Analogous with Ontario
    • Cherokee Nation: Encompassing Northern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama, a northeastern part of Louisiana, and part of southeastern Arkansas, it is the tribal land of the Cherokee tribe
    • Connecticut
    • Cranmer: Encompassing Texas (minus the eastern section) and Oklahoma (minus the southeastern section), it is named after Thomas Cranmer
    • Delaware
    • Disraeli: Encompassing Southeastern Idaho, eastern Nevada, all of Utah, and western Colorado, it is named after Benjamin Disraeli
    • Florida: Encompassing Florida, possibly the Bahamas, the portions of Alabama and Mississippi bordering the Gulf of Mexico, and the Florida Parishes of Louisiana
    • Franklin: Analogous with Kentucky, it is named after Benjamin Franklin
    • Georgia: Encompassing Georgia and most of Alabama
    • Hanover: Encompassing eastern Montana, southwestern South Dakota, all of Wyoming, and eastern Colorado and Nebraska north of the Platte River, it is named after the Kingdom of Hanover, which was in personal union with the United Kingdom until 1837
    • Hudsonia: Encompassing Nunavut (minus the northwestern section and the Victoria and King William Islands) and the southeastern section of the Northwest Territories, it is named after nearby Hudson Bay
    • Illinois
    • Louisiana: Encompassing Louisiana (minus the Florida Parishes and the northeastern part), central Mississippi, eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Arkansas
    • Lower California: Encompassing Baja California Peninsula
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts: Encompasses Massachusetts and Maine
    • Miami: Analogous with Ohio, it is named after the Miami tribe
    • Mississippi: Encompasses Iowa, western Minnesota west of the Mississippi River, southeastern North Dakota, South Dakota east of the Missouri River, and Missouri north of the Missouri River
    • Missouri: Encompasses Missouri south of the Missouri River, northern Arkansas, all of Kansas, and Nebraska south of the Platte River
    • New Brunswick
    • Newfoundland: Analogous with Newfoundland and Labrador
    • New Guernsey: Encompassing Wisconsin, Minnesota east of the Mississippi River, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, it is named after Guernsey Island in the English Channel
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Scotland: Encompasses Nova Scotia and possibly Prince Edward Island, with New Scotland being a literal translation of the Latin name.
    • New York: Encompasses New York (minus the western section), but includes all of Vermont
    • North Carolina
    • Ontario: Encompasses Manitoba, northeastern North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota
    • Oregon: Encompasses Oregon and Washington, most of Idaho, a small chunk of northwestern Nevada, and northwestern Montana
    • Pennsylvania: Encompasses Pennsylvania (minus the north-central section)
    • Phoenix: Encompasses Arizona and New Mexico
    • Quebec
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • Tennessee
    • The Six Nations: Encompassing the western portion of New York State and a portion of north-central Pennsylvania, it is named after the "Six Nations" Iroquois tribes, being the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora people.
    • Tippecanoe: Analogous with Indiana
    • Upper California: Encompasses California and western Nevada
    • Vancouver: Encompasses British Columbia
    • Virginia: Encompasses Virginia and West Virginia
    • Washington: Encompassing Saskatchewan, eastern Montana, western North Dakota, and northwestern South Dakota, it is named after George Washington
    • Wilberforce: Encompassing the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, it is named after William Wilberforce
  • Southern Victory series – After Confederate secession in 1862 and its defeat in the Second Mexican War (1881–1882), the United States adopts a 'Remembrance' foreign policy against the Confederacy, Great Britain and France (similar to revanchism) and allies itself with the German Empire and later the Central Powers. By the end of the First Great War (1914–1917), the United States grant statehood to Kentucky and Houston, annexes parts of Virginia, Arkansas and Confederate Sonora, grant territorial status to Sequoyah and the Sandwich Islands, occupy most of Canada (Quebec being made a U.S. puppet state), Newfoundland, the Bahamas and Bermuda and suppress the Mormon uprising in Utah; it was stated that none of the Canadian provinces other than Quebec would be admitted as states. By the end of the Second Great War (1941–1944), the United States has occupied the extraterritorial Mexican state of Baja California and begins the reincorporation of the Confederacy (including the purchased Confederate states of Sonora, Chihuahua and Cuba). By 1944, the United States occupied most of North America, with the exceptions of the Republic of Quebec, the Republic of Texas, the Empire of Mexico and Russian America.
  • Futurama – In the episode All the presidents' Heads , Professor Farnsworth travels back in time using the fluid used to preserve the heads of historical figures and attempts to prevent the treasonous actions of his ancestor David Farnsworth. When burning counterfeit currency, Fry unwittingly stole a lantern from the Old North Church, leading Paul Revere to mistakenly warn of a British attack from land rather than by sea. As a result, Great Britain won the American Revolutionary War and by 3011, all of North America (including the continental United States, Canada, Alaska and Central America) was eventually unified as 'West Britannia' and the Farnsworths are a ducal family whose members have served as consorts for the British Royal family. The original timeline was restored by the end of the episode.
  • For Want of a Nail – Written by Robert Sobel, the novel (written as an undergraduate-level history textbook) depicts the failure of the American War of Independence owing to John Burgoyne's victory at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777 and the negotiation of a truce by Continental Congressional Conciliationists in 1778. The Confederation of North America is established by 1843, comprising a number of smaller confederations.

Both Nova Scotia and Quebec, whilst still parts of the British Empire, are independent of the CNA.

  • Sliders – In the episode Prince of Wails, the Sliders visit a reality where Great Britain successfully suppressed the American War of Independence, establishing the British States of America at some point thereafter. The BSA's exact territorial extent is never specified with the episode being set entirely in San Francisco, itself depicted as the capital.

The United States of Canada

Map of the United States of Canada (in blue) and Jesusland (in red) Jesusland map.svg
Map of the United States of Canada (in blue) and Jesusland (in red)
  • Jesusland map , an Internet meme created after the 2004 United States Presidential election, which satirizes the red/blue states scheme by dividing the United States and Canada into "The United States of Canada" and "Jesusland". [8] The map implies the existence of a fundamental political divide between contiguous northern and southern regions of North America, the former including both the socially liberal Canada (sometimes excluding Alberta) and the West Coast, northeastern, and north-Midwestern states of the US, and suggests that these states are closer in spirit to Canada than to the more conservative regions of their own country.

The United States, Inc.

The world of Jennifer Government. USA territories are shown in dark blue. Jennifer Government world map.svg
The world of Jennifer Government. USA territories are shown in dark blue.

Collections of existing states as independent sovereign nations

Geopolitical variations of sovereign states or nations in North America are a recurring theme due to historical debates regarding partition and secession movements. This is an especially common trope in works of alternative historical fiction involving the United States, which ultimately Balkanizes the country into a series of autonomous commonwealths.

Confederate States of America-variants

The Confederate States and Allied Powers (green) of World War I vs. the United States and Central Powers (yellow). Results: the United States and German Empire are the dominant regional great powers; the resulting reparations and annexation of sovereign territories under the Treaty of Versailles inevitably set the stage for World War II. Timeline-191 WWI.png
The Confederate States and Allied Powers (green) of World War I vs. the United States and Central Powers (yellow). Results: the United States and German Empire are the dominant regional great powers; the resulting reparations and annexation of sovereign territories under the Treaty of Versailles inevitably set the stage for World War II.
The United States vs. the Confederate States during World War II. Results: the American Empire, German Empire, and Japanese Empire are the -only- surviving global superpowers. The Confederate States of America ceases to exist after Richmond, Virginia is destroyed by the first atomic bomb and is put into "political limbo". Timeline-191 map2-5.gif
The United States vs. the Confederate States during World War II. Results: the American Empire, German Empire, and Japanese Empire are the -only- surviving global superpowers. The Confederate States of America ceases to exist after Richmond, Virginia is destroyed by the first atomic bomb and is put into "political limbo".
Flag of the Freedom Party. Socialist Confederation of America.svg
Flag of the Freedom Party.
Map of the Golden Circle with its possible subdivisions. The rest of the Confederate States of America is in light/pale-green. Golden Circle (Proposed Country).png
Map of the Golden Circle with its possible subdivisions. The rest of the Confederate States of America is in light/pale-green.
Post-partition United States, as seen in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG and Appleseed. GitS-Appleseed Imperial America 2030.png
Post-partition United States, as seen in Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG and Appleseed.

Fractured States of America-variants

Rump States of America-variants

USA divided in three parts: The Japanese Pacific States in the west, Das Grosse Nazi Reich (The Great Nazi Empire) in the east and The Rocky Mountain States (or The Neutral Zone) in the middle Man High Castle (TV Series) map.svg
USA divided in three parts: The Japanese Pacific States in the west, Das Große Nazi Reich (The Great Nazi Empire) in the east and The Rocky Mountain States (or The Neutral Zone) in the middle
Ameritech: (presumably named after the telecommunications company): Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania
Appalachia: Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia
California Special District: California, Nevada
Central: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska (at the climax of the series, this area is carved out of the United States as a new country called Heartland )
Mid-Atlantic: Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia
North Central: Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Northeastern: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
Northwest: Oregon, Washington
South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Southern: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi
Southwest: Arizona, New Mexico
Western Semi-Autonomous: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming

In addition to these areas, Washington, D.C. constitutes its own National Administrative District, South Florida is described by a character as the "Space Zone," and there is a passing reference to three "International Cities," one of which is San Francisco. Michigan is separated into two administrative regions, with the Lower Peninsula belonging to Ameritech, and the Upper Peninsula belonging to the North Central region. Alaska is mentioned as never having been pacified, requiring continued engagement by Soviet troops, and there are pockets of armed resistance in the Rocky Mountains and in West Virginia. There is no mention of what happened to Hawaii or to U.S. Territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa.

  • Republic of New England – the breakaway country which is the greatest extent to which Schismatic theology has spread. It includes such locations as Cramneria, Hussville, Waldsdenia, Arnoldstown and Wycliffe City. A 'First Citizen' acts as the secular head (Joseph Rudyard Kipling is mentioned as being 'First Citizen between 1914 and 1918) and the Archpresbytor of Arnoldstown acts as the head of the church. New England is scientifically more advanced and culturally freer than the Papal Realms (having invented heavier-than-air flight and allowing the performance of Shakespeare's plays) but practices a harsh penal system and a system of apartheid between whites and Native Americans.
  • Louisiana – Mentioned as having fought a war against New England circa 1848. It is not mentioned whether it is a district of New France or an independent country.
  • Mexico – Mentioned as having fought a war against New England circa 1848. Mexico is an independent empire existing alongside New Spain.
  • Quebec – A French colony.
  • Florida – A Spanish colony.
  • New Muscovy – A colony of Muscovy, analogous with Alaska.

A novel-within-a-novel is mentioned, an alternate version of Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle depicting an alternate reality where the Protestant Reformation occurred. In 1848, England's American colonies revolt and win their independence, going on to conquer all of North America except for New Muscovy and Spanish Florida.

In the television series, however, the Republic of Gilead is shown via a map to occupy the former continental United States minus territories held by rebel militias. A rump United States exists, consisting of the extraterritorial states of Hawaii and Alaska (the capital being relocated to Anchorage) and an American diaspora in Canada; the new United States flag shows forty-eight of the fifty stars in its blue canton as white outlines, presumably representing those states lost to Gilead.

The British Empire interfered in North American affairs, causing the United States to fragment to prevent it from becoming a world power. The following nations are mentioned.

  • The United States – The rump state left after fragmentation.
  • The Confederate States — The exiled British hereditary nobility are mentioned as having formed a community in Charleston.
  • Manhattan Commune
  • Republic of California
  • Republic of TexasSam Houston appears in the novel as the exiled Texian President, having been replaced by a military junta.
  • British North America – This is slightly larger than in reality.
  • Russian America
  • Mexico – Under the occupation of the Second French Empire.
  • Terra Nullius – This consists mostly of the Missouri Territory and is ruled by different Native American nations.
  • The Brotherhood of Steel is a neo-knightly order founded by deserters of the U.S. Armed Forces shortly before the Great War. They are probably the most widely-spread faction in post-war America, however many Brotherhood divisions have differing ideologies and practices, due to this they vary from location such as the Mojave Chapter and the East Coast Brotherhood. They have appeared in every Fallout game to date, and are the main focus of Fallout: Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel .
  • The Enclave is a secretive, militaristic organization established after the Great War, founded by descendants of the pre-War United States government and its military-industrial complex. They consider themselves the legal continuation of the U.S. government and continuously plot their resurgence. They are the main antagonists of Fallout 2 , Fallout 3 , and its add-on Broken Steel . Remnants of the Enclave's west coast division appear as a faction in Fallout: New Vegas and the Enclave are mentioned by a former Enclave soldier turned follower for the Children of Atom in Fallout 4's add-on Far Harbor .
  • The Commonwealth is what is left of the pre-Great War State of Massachusetts in New England Commonwealth of the United States in the alternate history of the Fallout universe. Most of it is a "war-ravaged quagmire of violence and despair" like much of the rest of the former United States, but it is also where Boston is located. It was first mentioned in Fallout 3 and later appeared in Fallout 4 .
  • Caesar's Legion is an autocratic, ultra-reactionary, utilitarian slaver army founded in 2247 by Edward Sallow and Joshua Graham. It is largely inspired and partially based on the ancient Roman Empire, though it isn't the Roman Empire or the Roman Republic or even its military, the Legion. It is a slave army with trappings of foreign-conscripted Roman legionaries during the late empire. All military, no civilian, and with none of the supporting civilian culture. It appears only in Fallout: New Vegas .
  • The New California Republic (NCR) is a federal presidential republic founded in New California by Aradesh. Comprising five contiguous states, territories and holdings in pre-War regions in Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and parts of Mexico, the Republic dedicates itself to the values of the old world: democracy, liberty, and the rule of law. It was founded in 2186, is mentioned in Fallout 3 , and appears in Fallout 2 & Fallout: New Vegas .
  • Shi is a post-apocalyptic nation that is against post-war politics, and uses some of the Chinese culture, such as their ancestors' customs, clothing, language and demeanor. The younger generations, however, seem to rely more on the surviving popular culture interpretations of Chinese culture (such as kung-fu holovideos), rather than actual cultural traditions. It only appears in Fallout 2 and flashback in memories by remains of Kellogg's brain Fallout 4 .
  • Republic of Dave (formerly Kingdom of Tom, Kingdom of Larry, the Republic of Stevie-Ray, Billsylvania, and the New Republic of Stevie-Ray) is a small farming settlement in the far northeast corner of the Capital Wasteland (Fallout 3) that is considered by its close-knit inhabitants to be a sovereign nation-state. This nation is actually closer to a Micronation, because since on-off monarchies and republics with an only family control it, and they only had one citizen working as a teacher or merchant (optional) during the game. This "Nation" only appears in Fallout 3.
  • The Free Economic Zone of New Vegas is a faction led by Robert House in New Vegas. Although it is formally founded if House establishes sovereignty over the Mojave, in practice, it exists in a practical capacity throughout Mr House's rule in New Vegas.
  • Allied States of America: A country in the television series Jericho that forms after nuclear weapons are detonated in many of the United States' major cities. Its capital is Cheyenne, Wyoming, and it controls all of the states west of the Mississippi River, with the exception of Texas.
  • Republic of Texas: A country that was formerly the state of Texas and has the same borders. Its capital is San Antonio because Dallas and Houston were destroyed.
  • United States of America: A country in the television series Jericho . It is only a fictional country because it only rules over the states east of the Mississippi River. Its capital is Columbus, Ohio.

Other collections of independent states

See also

Related Research Articles

Indian Territory Evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans

The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign independent state. In general, the tribes ceded land they occupied in exchange for land grants in 1803. The concept of an Indian Territory was an outcome of the US federal government's 18th- and 19th-century policy of Indian removal. After the American Civil War (1861–1865), the policy of the US government was one of assimilation.

<i>How Few Remain</i> Book by Harry Turtledove

How Few Remain is a 1997 alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. It is the first part of the Southern Victory saga, which depicts a world in which the Confederate States of America won the American Civil War. It is similar to his earlier novel The Guns of the South, but unlike the latter, it is a purely historical novel with no fantastical or science fiction elements. The book received the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in 1997, and was also nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1998. It covers the Southern Victory Series period of history from 1862 and from 1881 to 1882.

Confederate Arizona Territory of the Confederate States of America

Arizona Territory, colloquially referred to as Confederate Arizona, was an organized incorporated territory of the Confederate States that existed from August 1, 1861 to May 26, 1865, when the Confederate States Army Trans-Mississippi Department, commanded by General Edmund Kirby Smith, was surrendered at Shreveport, Louisiana. However, after the Battle of Glorieta Pass, the Confederates had to retreat from the territory, and by July 1862, effective Confederate control of the territory had ended. Delegates to the secession convention had voted in March 1861 to secede from the New Mexico Territory and the Union, and seek to join the Confederacy. It consisted of the portion of the New Mexico Territory south of the 34th parallel, including parts of the modern states of New Mexico and Arizona. The capital was Mesilla, along the southern border. The breakaway region overlapped Arizona Territory, established by the Union government in February 1863.

Historic regions of the United States Wikimedia list article

The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time, from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states, international and interstate purchases, cessions, and land grants, and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today.

Knights of the Golden Circle Secret society in the mid-19th-century US

The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle, where slavery would be legal. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico, Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter.

<i>Warday</i>

Warday is a novel by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka, first published in 1984. It is a fictional account of the authors travelling across the U.S. five years after a limited nuclear attack in order to assess how the nation has changed after the war. The novel takes the form of a first-person narrative research article and includes government documents, interviews with survivors and aid workers, and present-tense narration.

Captain Confederacy is an alternate history comic book by Will Shetterly and Vince Stone that was first published in 1986, revived in 1991–92, then published online with new and revised material in 2011. It tells the story of a superhero created for propaganda purposes in a world in which the Confederate States of America won their independence from the United States.

The Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War consists of the major military operations west of the Mississippi River. The area is often thought of as excluding the states and territories bordering the Pacific Ocean, which formed the Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War (1861–1865).

The Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War consists of major military operations in the United States on the Pacific Ocean and in the states and Territories west of the Continental Divide. The theater was encompassed by the Department of the Pacific that included the states of California, Oregon, and Nevada, the territories of Washington, Utah, and later Idaho.

<i>The Great War: Breakthroughs</i> Book by Harry Turtledove

The Great War: Breakthroughs is the third and final installment of the Great War trilogy in the Southern Victory series of alternate history novels by Harry Turtledove. It takes the Southern Victory Series to 1917.

<i>Settling Accounts: In at the Death</i> Book by Harry Turtledove

Settling Accounts: In at the Death is the last novel of the Settling Accounts tetralogy that presents an alternate history of World War II known as the Second Great War that was released July 27, 2007. It brings to a conclusion the multi-series compilation by author Harry Turtledove, a series sometimes referred to as Southern Victory. It covers the time period from 1943 to 1945.

New Mexico Territory in the American Civil War Historic territory ≠ present US state

The New Mexico Territory, which included the areas which became the modern U.S. states of New Mexico and Arizona as well as the southern part of present-day Nevada, played a small but significant role in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. Despite its remoteness from the major battlefields of the east and its existence on the still sparsely populated and largely undeveloped American frontier, both Confederate and Union governments claimed ownership over the territory, and several important battles and military operations took place in the region.

<i>Russian Amerika</i>

Russian Amerika is an alternate history novel written by Stoney Compton. It is set in a world where Alaska was still owned by Russia in 1987.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the American Civil War:

Traditional Arizona Aspect of state history

Prior to the adoption of its name for a U.S. state, Arizona was traditionally defined as the region south of the Gila River to the present-day Mexican border, and between the Colorado River and the Rio Grande. It encompasses present-day Southern Arizona and the New Mexico Bootheel plus adjacent parts of Southwestern New Mexico. This area was transferred from Mexico to the United States in the Gadsden Purchase of 1853. Mining and ranching were the primary occupations of traditional Arizona's inhabitants, though growing citrus fruits had long been occurring in Tucson.

Territorial evolution of North America since 1763

The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the major war known by Americans as the French and Indian War and by Canadians as the Seven Years' War / Guerre de Sept Ans, or by French-Canadians, La Guerre de la Conquête. It was signed by Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. Preferring to keep Guadeloupe, France gave up Canada and all of its claims to territory east of the Mississippi River to Britain. With France out of North America this dramatically changed the European political scene on the continent.

References

  1. page 124 of the pocket book edition of Michener's "Space"
  2. Fanger, Donald (November 7, 1999). "The Neverending Story". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. Hodgman, John (January 1, 2012). "A guide to what (probably) won't happen in January". The Boston Globe . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. Sugar, Rebecca (August 20, 2014). "I am Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe, and former Adventure Time storyboarder, AMA!". Reddit. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  5. "Thanks for Nothing, D*#k Trippers". The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
  6. Stanton, Rich (March 13, 2013). "How to write BioShock Infinite". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
  7. "On Locations in Panem, pt. II".
  8. Bai, Matt (November 19, 2006). "The Last 20th-Century Election?". The New York Times Magazine . Retrieved December 13, 2009. Since Bush's disputed victory in 2000, many liberals have been increasingly brazen about their disdain for the rural and religious voters; one popular e-mail message, which landed in thousands of Democratic in-boxes in the days after the 2004 election, separated North America into "The United States of Canada" and "Jesusland."
  9. As all non-charity organizations in the book have been privatized, the government and all former government controlled organizations' names are now capitalized as for-profit corporations' names are.
  10. Barry, Max. He has created a game based on the novel: Jennifer Government: NationStates . "On Capitalism and Corporatism". MaxBarry.com. January 20, 2005.
  11. C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, Official Website, archived link
  12. map provided at beginning of book
  13. Siembieda, K.; Bellaire, C.; Therrien, S.; Ward, T. & Wujcik, E. (August 2005). Rifts Role-Playing Game, Ultimate Edition . Taylor, MI: Palladium Books. pp.  24–31. ISBN   1-57457-150-8.
  14. Collins (2008), p. 18.
  15. Collins (2010), p. 223.
  16. Collins (2008), p. 41.