I'll take the opportunity to also continue a discussion I've had with some players and moderators on Discord six days ago (
beginning here):
At present, the spreadsheet says that the population of Hanzen is 15 million (18.96/km2). I hadn't noticed this until a few days ago, having recalled previously that Hanzen had one of the largest populations among the non-playable countries (every update on the
Hanzen wiki page since 2013 has the population set at 179,991,000).
I think this sharp decline is unjustified, especially given that there is no explanation. Additionally, if we are to accept Pragma/QV73's argument that the population and density should be related to their RL equivalents/inspirations, 18.96/km2 is a far cry from Thailand's 132.1/km2.
I bring this up now as it informs my on-going planning with regard to the potential merger between Hanzen and Ntoto (which is at present the least populated country in the game). The two territories, when added together, would span 1,924,196 km2, placing it among the largest countries in the world geographically. However, the new Hanzen-Ntoto state would then have a population of little over 16 million. This, in my view, is far too small.
I am not necessarily arguing for a restoration of the original population level, but surely we can arrive at a more reasonable figure that satisfies whatever reason it was reduced in the first place, while balancing the basic reality that 15 million is far too small a population.
Thank you.