World building is a big part of writing fantasy books and it’s definitely full of different elements, components, and aspects. The idea of a country is something that is often central to any world building project because countries are themselves very important places. They are full of room and potential for you to expand your world building and show off what you know. Countries can be part of a large collective or stand on their own, but either way, here’s how to create countries for a fantasy world.
What is a Country?
A country is essentially some distinct part of the world like a state, a nation, or some other relevant political entity. The idea of a country may be a sovereign state that governs itself or it may be something that is part of another collective or exists under some other leadership style, such as an Empire. Typically, in our world, a country refers to a sovereign state that has its own structure, government, politically-recognized borders, and similar ideas.
There are many ways to design a country and there are many elements that exist within a country. Most of the time, countries can share similar cultures and ideals with neighboring nations, but they still retain something that sets them apart enough to be unique and sovereign.
How to Create Countries in Fantasy Worlds
Geography First
Before we get into the finer details of what this country is, we need to talk about the idea of its geography. Geography is basically the land aspect of the country in question and it dramatically affects how a nation is shaped, what that nation’s economy is like and more.
Firstly, you want to think about the terrain of your country. You can make your country a desert, a forest-heavy area, along the coast, a combination of a few biomes, etc… The terrain and climate then go hand-in-hand because areas like the desert tend to get cold at night and scorching hot during the day with minimal rainfall while areas like the Amazon Rainforest get A LOT of rain and humidity.
A country might also have access to stores of natural resources. Natural resources include things like minerals, energy such as gas, or it could have fertile soil and thus rely on agriculture. Natural resources could dramatically impact how the economy of a country is like and if that country imports/exports certain things or not.
Geography also refers to if there are neighboring countries or sovereign states of some kind. Are these borders defined on political grounds or are they defined by things like natural structures such as mountains and rivers? Neighboring countries can impact your particular country because there may be skirmishes for certain parts of the land shared between the two or they may be allies that rely on each other for exports and imports.
Culture and its Aspects
The next thing that you want to work on developing is the culture of your country and all the aspects that come along with culture.
Firstly, culture includes many things, but for the most part, the idea of culture is that there are things that this particular group of people shares that other groups may not have in a collective sense. For instance, culture includes the food, the art styles, the clothing, the societal standards, and more. If you want to learn more about how to create a culture for a fantasy world, then check out this post!
One big element of any culture is the idea of language, both spoken and written. You want to think about the idea of language in your society and if there are things like dialects for that language. Additionally, how does this language affect their dealings with other nations and how does the language actually work? If you want to learn more about how to create a language for a fantasy world, check out this post!
The next thing you want to think about with the culture are the customs, rituals, traditions and similar concepts. What sort of holidays are there? Do people have celebrations for certain events? Are there rituals that this particular country places a heavy value on?
Religion is also a big one with any culture. Religion can play a role in actually shaping the culture of a country and may impact that particular country’s values and ideas of what is socially acceptable or not as they have a faith-based backing for their beliefs.
The Government
The government is a major part of what defines a country and how it operates and what commands it. There are many forms of government that we see around the world today and throughout history.
Fantasy tends to prefer the ideas of a monarchy for the government because many fantasy stories are inspired by medieval and ancient worlds where it was common to have a king or queen that would rule over everything and distribute power to others.
There are also things like a Republic, a theocracy, an oligarchy, a tribal system, etc… If you want to learn more about how to establish a government and what forms you can pick, check out this post!
A government pretty much determines anything from the laws to the systems of justice to the economic system and more. If you want to learn how to create a government for your world, then check out this post!
Create the Economy
At the heart of any country is the economy. The economy is basically what determines how wealthy a country is, what sort of resources the country has, how the country is perceived on the global stage, and if that particular country is a superpower or not. For the most part, the stronger the economy, the stronger the country, the more powerful it is.
There are many aspects in the economy like trade, industries, currency, banks, social classes, and more. The economy also differs in systems as some economies are more free-standing while others are more government-controlled.
If you want to learn how to create an economy for your country, check out this post!
History and Lore
Every country you see on the map today has a history of how it got on that map, no matter how young or old that country happens to be. You want to think about the history and potential lore of your country and figure out how to create it so that it feels integrated into the story.
Firstly, you want to think about how the country was founded and then established and you want to also think about if this country has a history of war and conflict, as those could’ve shaped how that country was founded.
In addition to this, you want to think about if the country has had internal and external strife, and if the internal strife led to any significant changes. A revolution or a coup d’etat would certainly lead to entire structural changes.
You want to think about if the country has ever had allies and/or enemies that helped influence how the country came to be.
National Defense
Almost every country has to have some sort of defense system because pretty much throughout all of history there has been war of some capacity between different groups that each fight for the right to control certain areas and plots of land.
Firstly, you want to think about if there are branches in the military such as a ground troop, a navy, an air force, etc… You want to also think about how the structure of hierarchy is within the military and if there are established ranks or if it’s a free-for-all.
Next, you want to think about how people join this military unit and if entrance is voluntary or forceful. You want to think about how this military is trained and how strict the training is or how loose it is.
You want to also think about what sort of weaponry and technology this military has access to and if this affects the way they are perceived globally. For the most part, a country with a strong military will always be seen as a power on the global stage. This is why at one point, Rome was so feared because they had a massive army. Today, the United States has one of the strongest military complexes in the world, and so that affects global perception of the country.
You want to also think about how the culture is surrounding the military. Is it considered glorious and are soldiers honored and respected? Are soldiers just seen as bad guys who hurt the civilians?
Social Classes and Divisions
Social classes and the divisions in society are important for the structure and fabric of the way a country works. Most countries have some division of classes, whether that be prominent or mild, but there is something that exists that divides people based on certain things.
For instance, is the difference in classes based on feudalism, so are there nobles and peasants? Are there guilds and organizations where people are ranked based on their trade and profession? How about gender roles and potentially racial and ethnic divisions in society?
These sorts of things exist in a country and can play a big role in the way a person lives their life and interacts with the world around them. It can also impact a character’s worldview. Perhaps a character who comes from a noble background and was born into a noble house will feel that the people under him are lesser than him, and thus that will shape his view on people in the story.
National Identity
A country tends to have some markers and things that define it as a country and lead to a sort of national identity existing for this place. For example, every country pretty much has a flag of some sorts. Countries may have coats of arms, crests, national anthems, or something similar to that.
A country also tends to have things like a national hero or legends and lore as well as potentially some type of mythology for that world with which the characters could draw on for their national identity.
Conclusion
Fantasy worlds often have many lands, kingdoms, and more, and all can be pretty well-defined under the concept of a country. A country can be within a larger empire or it can be a standalone, sovereign nation. Either way, a country in a fantasy world is something that you should learn how to create because it can really elevate the world building process in your story and make it much more interesting.
Just keep in mind that when you are creating a country to ensure that your country feels like it could be 100% real in the real world. That way, you’ll put more effort into the story and you’ll actually be able to develop things better.
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