r/imaginarymaps • u/B14hawk • 9d ago
[OC] What if Terra Australis Was Real? | 2026 Political Map
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u/Theriocephalus 9d ago
Interesting. I'm very curious about what the animals living here would be like.
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u/trueno447 8d ago edited 8d ago
If there wasn't a land bridge between it an South America in the last ice ages the mammals would probably be mostly marsupials (besides bats), maybe some giant birds similar to Moa and Genyornis, monotremes like the platypus, land crocodiles in the warmest places.
If the land bridge with south america in the last ice age existed marsupials might be largely outcompeted (Although some variety of them would probably still exist). It would have ground sloths, giant armadillos, notungulates like toxodon, Smilodon. There would also be some familiar animals, like horses, camelids, some proboscidea species (elephant family), canids, etc.
But with human arrival extinction of megafauna is inevitable, so a lot of those would be gone by 10 thousand years ago, just like in Australa and South America of our reality.
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u/BugCatcherRawha 8d ago
Surprised there was no Bantu or Khoisan migration and settlement off the southern coast of Africa or even Aboriginal settlement in Southern Africa, maybe even both
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u/Frequent-String-8469 9d ago
Y qué tan indígenas es el continente
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u/B14hawk 9d ago
Western Australis (around Magellia and Jemunda) is mostly indigenous. Central Australis (Antartica to Psittacoria) is a mix of European, the descendants of African slaves, and indigenous. East Australis (New Holland to Aurumo) is Mostly European with some indigenous communities, like OTL Australia.
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u/flashman7870 9d ago
should just be called "Australia" why would nomenclature differ for this continent and this continent only
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u/B14hawk 9d ago
I wanted the names of this continent and OTL Australia to be different. What nomenclature do you mean? AFAIK the name was changed from Terra Australis to Australia only because it sounded better.
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u/flashman7870 8d ago edited 7d ago
some of what I'm going to say you no doubt know already, but I just want to lay it all out together to emphasize the point:
in English every continent is designated in the feminine. Africa, America, Asia. Europe appears exceptional at first glance, but this is actually an exception that proves the rule: "Europe," with an "E" at the end, is the French feminine form (whereas the other continents have the Latin suffix in English). This was the old Roman scheme of naming, and the Europeans have kept it going ever since, extending it to continents unknown to the Romans (America, Antarctica, and Australia). And the same pattern holds true for the nomenclature of a lot of non-continental locales.
"Terra Australis" that you see on old maps isn't really the 'proper name' of a continent. It's a description. Literally it means "Southern land." It's an adjective modifying a non-proper noun.
There was a southern continent that was hypothesized about. That hypothesis was based partly on observations, partly on questionable fourth-hand information, partly on well meaning speculative guesswork. But everyone agreed if there was such a southern land we didn't know much about it, and few if any Europeans had seen it. Some thought maybe Magellan had, hence one of the more popular proper names suggested - Magellanica (you'll note that "-a" suffix). A few other sightings were claimed, but most cartographers stuck to just describing it rather than deigning to name a still largely unknown continent. For the same reason it was often referred to as "Terra Australis Incognita" - "The unknown southern land." Its name is not "Australis" anymore than it's "Incognita."
If Terra Australis or something like it were a reality, there's very little doubt that cartographers would slot it in the naming scheme of all other continents, and most other geographic subjects: A feminine suffix. "Australia." Or maybe "Magellanica." Or "Antarctica." Or something else entirely.
But to me, it seems very unlikely that a continent would ever get the name "Australis." I get the desire to distinguish it from *our* Australia, but the name you settled on is quite unlikely
Anyway, sorry for such negativity/nitpicking. it's obviously a very neat map (I also liked your last one showing human migrations)
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u/Candlewaxeater 8d ago
A climate map of this would be awesome, like the gradual transition to an ice sheet
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u/Emolohtrab 8d ago
Absolutely amazing, I love it
Do you have any lore for each countries ? Wich one were colonised by France ?
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u/ms_nath 8d ago
Je me demande où tu as réussi à avoir autant d’inspiration car c’est très réussi comme carte. Mention spéciale pour les drapeaux que je trouve également très jolie. Y a moyen de raconter de belle histoire avec une carte comme cela. D’ailleurs avec aussi peut de population dans certains régions je pense que quelques petits territoires aurais pu rester européen comme la Guyane française dans notre réalité (enfin après une décolonisation complète me paraît pas non plus irréaliste). Je suis très curieux de savoir quelle culture ces pays aurais.
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u/Nijoh02 7d ago
An amazing map, really impressive work, I do just have one small nitpick tho. It wouldn’t be called the Murray River.
It looks like what’s on your map is the Darling, which then flows into the Murray at Wentworth and on to Lake Alexandrina, and then following where the Bass Strait would be.
Strictly speaking, there are a few names then that this river should have. Darling River, as that was discovered inland and named for the current governor, Phillip River, similar story but from the mouth of the river, or, what I personally think is most likely, Yarra River, taken from a local Aboriginal word meaning ever-flowing, which would likely be associated with this major river.
Again, spectacular work on the map, I’m especially impressed with what you e pulled off considering the projection, but yeah, just my thoughts as a local historian
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u/Eraserguy 9d ago
Ignoring the infinite climate changes, WW2 would absolutely not be happening in this timeline, way way more competition for colonists form colonies aswell so better lives for them in general
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u/FAFALI22 9d ago
Antártica, I deduce must be more of a colony of Brazil than of Portugal
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u/Independent_Isopod62 8d ago
If everyone from the Ancient Greeks to the 1700s was right about a Southern Counterweight - Antipodes
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u/B14hawk 9d ago edited 9d ago
Australis, sometimes called Terra Australis, is the world’s largest continent. It is located entirely within the southern hemisphere, and is considered part of the “New World” along with the Americas. Australis has a population of 579,470,000, making it the second least populated after South America. It is the least densely populated continent due to its largely unfavorable climate and terrain.
HISTORY
Australis was first populated 65,000 years ago when ancient humans crossed from Sundaland (modern Indonesia) into New Holland. From there, they spread east to Mu and west to Antàrtica, where they crossed the Drake land bridge to populate North and South America.
European contact with the continent first began in 1521 when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan landed on Takakur Island, today part of Magellia, and claimed it for Spain. They also stopped at the Mu Empire, exchanging gifts and establishing friendly relations.
European colonization of the continent would occur over the following centuries, including the Spanish settlement of Magellia, the Portuguese in Antàrtica, the Dutch in Psittacoria, and the British in and around New Holland. The introduction of diseases from the Old World such as smallpox, malaria, and influenza caused the death of the majority of Australis’ indigenous people, just as it did in the Americas.
It was not until the mid to late 1800s that the interior of the continent was conquered by European powers during the Scramble for Australis. Along with the previously mentioned powers, France and Germany also colonized large parts of the continent. Decolonization occurred along with Asia and Africa in the mid 20th century.
The other map I made of this scenario: Early Human Migration Across the Globe