User blog:The Testcardiologist/Gapia Rewind Map Edition

(I know it's not the end of the year, but still)

Geia
We start off with Geia, the predecessor of Gapia. It started on July 4, 2013 by members of the Brazilian fictional television scene, its creator already had an idea back in 2011 for what was Cazbekistan (now Cazbekia, Gapia's Belarus). The oldest maps were on Minus and were removed from the internet due to instabilities the site had (Minus shut down sometime in 2015). However, mavb98 recently unearthed some of these rare gems from prior to late 2014, from when Geia was barely one year old.

https://i.imgur.com/MnNJjBy.jpg

This is how the Geian map looked like at first, when the maps were made by Brazilans, and were worthy of r/crappydesign. There were two continents, probably West Rainsaw and East Rainsaw, and about thirty countries. This was from the first weeks of 2014. Initially, Geia didn't even have Hokusei, Xi'Ang, the Yareas, Istia, Arabsia, Neurcasia, etc. and was added in later revisions. This is the oldest surviving map (November 2014), where countries were labelled with three-letter abbreviations and dots where their capitals were located.

https://i.imgur.com/H3nKNrJ.png

In February, a new continent was added, Nortolunia. Its odd shape would later be used by South Nortolunia aka what is now Meridecia in Gapia (Africa and the Middle East). The countries that were claimed for the new continent were Esperança (later Hopeland, a pocket USA that later served as base for Eusloida); "State of Liberty" (South Africa and PALOP countries, now just South Africa and Angola under Liberdesia; no wonder why he had to change the name because Libertia in Neurcasia has "Libertian" as its denonym); Roterlaine (at the time a Spanish-speaking country and far from being the counterpart to our France when Gineki took it over; Great Gritain and "Gran Costa Estrella" (I guess so, now Costa Estela as the Gapian Papua New Guinea). This map was shrouded in controversy by the users of the time for the creation of new countries without permission. Luckily enough Gineki started making maps using the designs and made vast improvements in the months that followed. Congratulations, you're a lifesaver, because you added color and more appealing fonts to the maps.

https://i.imgur.com/qrZmNmG.jpg

This is a draft of the map below, made by Brazilians. Nortolunia changes location, size and shape.

https://i.imgur.com/df4oMAn.jpg

By then Gineki was already making the maps, however they still had the same font and lots of white, because nobody didn't know where were the claimed countries and where were the vacant territories.

https://i.imgur.com/minhCkk.jpg

It was Mauro Teité that gave Gineki the idea of giving colors to each country and change the typeface for a much more pleasant Chicago. The ONFU headquarters were bilingual, due to the influx of Chileans (some where there almost from the very start), Colombians and Venezuelans in the group.

https://i.imgur.com/4O8Ywko.png

The continents were West Rainsaw, Surtiasa, Eurcasia and Nortolunia. The first three were mixed continents while Nortolunia was divided into sectors representing Asia, Africa and Oceania. There were already many unclaimed countries (I guess) in Nortolunia. Lettered territories are disputed territories. A is Deiwan and E is Arandia. Later they were rearranged under lowercase letters. Just don't ask. They might have taken the older revisions of the maps to the recycling bin on their computers (that is, if they kept copies). By then they had already invented the bot countries, represented by countries where the entire name was spelt rather than random letters.

https://i.imgur.com/ZSLobJM.png

Still in 2014, Britania moved to the insular region of Rainsaw and Neurcasia's size reduced a little and moved to the east.

https://i.imgur.com/tVfhyhb.png

Novalia claimed two islands under New Westerland, the "grandfather" of New Eusland.

https://i.imgur.com/1t3zns5.jpg

From the same day as the map above, a terrain map of Geia.

https://i.imgur.com/JqzwOoO.png

A little sorting out in Surtiasa.

https://i.imgur.com/yZ46AaP.png

From the same day as the map above, a timezone map.

https://i.imgur.com/NHZML78.png

Unrelated, but here's the same but as a list.

https://i.imgur.com/QwsrVB0.png

An archipelago is claimed under number 40. It was likely Pacifilavia.

https://i.imgur.com/1KjGmgP.png

A part of South Nortolunia is given to North Nortolunia, Pacifilavia moves to the area between Xi'Ang and Istia.

https://i.imgur.com/hEmIGxL.png

Lands in the northern hemisphere move west, what we now call Arabsia in Gapia grew a little, and Sucrenia was now a country. This is the last known map of Geia, published in August 2015.

Gapia
Just a few weeks before, Geian members had lost their marbles. Some members left Geia at all and others went to join Gapia. Reports say that Geia was a really confusing group, due to constant spamming and creation of new Facebook account to violate the maximum two country per owner rule at the time. During this period, DonaldoC1997 was expelled (DonOnce called him a traitor, but when he went to Gapia the relationship stabilized somewhat). His countries were not present in Gapia, at least when it started. On October 24, 2015, Geia oficially shut down. Some members moved to Gapia while others refused to continue doing so.

https://i.imgur.com/AT5YtSt.png

The first Gapian map. Initially it had no name and was a solution set up by DonOnce to facilitate things further. This was in July 2015. About fifty countries were claimed. Continents were reorganized: the Atlansias for the Americas, Eurdecia for Europe, Meridecia for Africa and the Middle East, Asikai for Asia and Transania for Oceania. A number of CMAs (countries managed by all, later bot countries) were created, the rest consisted of countries owned by Facebook users. A seemingly familiar combination of colors began to appear. Vera Cruz was the only territory and it was, at the time, under the same typeface as administed countries.

https://i.imgur.com/80ZUyLK.png

Not much of a change, Mayagia (at the time Gapia's Colombia) lost some land to Sudatlánsia, and the continent lost some of its land to the south when Dovaly (the new Novalia) was claimed.

https://i.imgur.com/cffA1aR.png

Gapia's structure changed a lot. Meridecia was now divided into two subcontinents: Arabsia (West Meridecia) and Afronia (East Meridecia). Territories and oceans were now labelled. Lots of new CMAs like Udreine, Nagmolia and Makistan were created. GIneki's countries (Hisqaida, Neurcasia) already made the switch.

https://i.imgur.com/HS3vWNj.png

By October 2015, DonaldoC1997 had switched between worlds. His countries (South Matamah, New Rhumb, Liberty) all moved to Gapia, and later took control of Palesia from its former owner and turned the old New Westerland into New Eusland. Other names from Geia like Pacifilavia (former Istolasia) and Cazbekistan returned.

https://i.imgur.com/maQ8L3z.png

Vengatio1, later to become the fifth admin, registers with Quemurilla, a Meridecian de facto dictatorship, and the Vradivan Islands, a pseudo-Singapore with traits and qualities of Vietnam and Cuba.

https://i.imgur.com/QO6kNJb.png

By December, Vengatio1 claims New Alacania in South Atlansia and Karistia in North Atlansia. Burfhana (Gapia's Botswana) is added. Vera Cruz moves to the Neptunic Ocean.

https://i.imgur.com/mOCBZU0.png

A few changes in Eurdecia, with Nouvelle Baie moving near Roterlaine and Cazbekistan revived as Gapia's Belarus. Afronia's size grew a little so that Meridecia wouldn't be a horizontal continent. Rivland is added, initially in Asikai, north of Istia. Sudraica moves near Arabsia. Also new are non-Facebook countries where administration is made in wikis (thanks, TK). Centlands was the first.

https://i.imgur.com/mWaEScA.png

Around the end of the year, Olho Negro returns in Gapia, Burfhana moves a little south and Deiwan and the Yengish peninsula switch places.

https://i.imgur.com/VSoaKKS.png

In 2016, Meridecia was restructured and the location of Eurdecia and Asikai had to change slightly. Adisinia (Ethiopia) was added.

https://i.imgur.com/hj8wyxa.png

There were many changes in August 2016. Seilan became an Istian state. Great Gritain moved back to Asikai. Meridecia was restructured by making it closer to Africa. Centralia left and its territory was given to other countries.

https://i.imgur.com/WUtIxG2.png

In January 2017, Centralia (and Maurodx) returned, this time in Transalia.

https://i.imgur.com/5d4Q8tP.png Arguably the biggest change of 2017 (if the return of Centralia doesn't count) was the switch of the Lusophone regions of the Atlansias. Palesia and its associated countries switched places with Azorita and New Rhumb. Now Palesia has the same climate patterns of its IRL counterpart. Its shape makes it feel more like Hungary.

https://i.imgur.com/Evrupr6.png

In September 2017, Transalia was restructured due to the arrival of Cenfestaro.

https://i.imgur.com/99H2isp.png

The Gapian map changed significantly in February 2018. Nordesia (the country) was split into four, the Iperidan peninsula was created, by aggregating all Hispanic countries (except Rialmany) and South Matamah in order to create it. Ibergia collapsed into Arnelia and Azeria into Turkistan. New Eusland was now to the south-west of Neurcasia.

https://i.imgur.com/jjh9vGE.png

Further changes in June, with Olho Negro becoming Gapia's Mozambique, Perporania becoming the Gapian DRC (as a Francophone country) and a few new countries as well. Disputed territories and countries with limited recognition are now marked.

https://i.imgur.com/FCJjeVt.png

The maps are steadily improving and they're looking better than ever.

https://i.imgur.com/pLp2i03.png

The latest map. Key offenders Gwanda and Gladekia have been removed because the respective users stole concepts, a few renames here and there and also Hisqaida losing its exclave, thus forcing Eusloida to move south and share the southern island with Jysannia.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/paisesficticios/images/3/3f/Mapa_de_Gapia_versi%C3%B3n_25_%28in_english%29.png/revision/latest?cb=20190523204900&path-prefix=es

Why waste time in uploading maps on Imgur, when you can upload them on Wikia? This is the latest English version, posted just for the division between Eurdecian and Asikaish Brussia (and not the glitch where Fernandina's name still appears).