(Re)introducing Rogatia: The Bulwark of the Atlantic

After 27 long days on the job, a supplement to a still long-gestating book project of mine is finally retooled--12 years after the old design's first draft. Without further ado, say hello to the brand-new landscape of Rogatia, at 1:1,000,000 scale:

And to think I almost held on to the previous attempt from last Christmas--only to go back on my word and start anew anyway.

For those few long-time readers of this feed still out there, or whoever's just joining in, an update of last June's backstory:

Rogatia is a fictional island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, and the partial setting for this contributor's forthcoming Sevton Saga (however soon that comes to pass). Located at 11°30' N/53°30' W, it lies some 250 miles south-southeast of Barbados and Trinidad, and 420+ miles north of the Suriname/French Guiana border. Measuring 17,192.1 km² (6,640.398 mi²) in area and comprising 10,000,000 inhabitants, it is one of the West Indies' most densely-populated sovereign states and also one of the twenty most densely populated countries on Earth.

Rogatia is the only Anglophone Caribbean nation with provinces, viz. Shropshire, Elmshire, and Yorkshire--from whence the affectionate Tolkien-influenced nickname, the "Shires". (Over in the Greater Antilles, provinces also comprise the Dominican Republic--not to be confused with the contributor's homeland, the Commonwealth of Dominica--and Cuba.) In Rogatia, the provinces are divided into 14 parishes named after various Christian saints (par for the course with its CARICOM brethren), which are further divided into several dozen districts and hundreds of communes (the last two a relic from 19th-century French rule). All three provinces are connected by road: Shropshire and Elmshire through the Sherbrooke Expressway, and Elmshire/Yorkshire through the ambitious Yorkshire Causeway (built and financed by the same team who gave Denmark and Sweden the Øresund, after which the Caribbean counterpart was strongly modelled).

Trouvaille, French for "find" or "discovery", is both Shropshire's province seat and Rogatia's national capital. Elmshire's seat is Weymouth, and Maidenhall Yorkshire's. Other cities and towns include Byahaut, Randstown, Hodgence, Castle Brook, and Estinda in Shropshire; Jouannigot, Briscoulle, Chaland, and Charlesbury in Elmshire; and Knavesbridge in Yorkshire. Which leads us to a rundown of national subdivisions by name and capital, grouped per province and going clockwise:

• Shropshire (Area: 7,457.07 km² [2,880.422 mi²]; Population: 6,300,000):
• • St. George (Trouvaille)
• • St. Paul (Auldenno)
• • St. John (Gaudium)
• • St. Ignatius (Estinde)
• • St . Mark (Young Pond)
• • St. Timothy (Ian Taisley)
• • St. Luke (Weehawken)
• • St. Stephen (Hodgence)
• Elmshire (Area: 6,487.24 km² [2,505.808 mi²]; Population: 2,400,000):
• • St. Philip (Weymouth)
• • St. Matthew (Briscoulle)
• • St. Andrew (Jouannigot)
• • St. Anthony (Farlington)
• Yorkshire (Area: 3,246.92 km² [1,254.179 mi²]; Population: 1,300,000):
• • St. Peter (Maidenhall)
• • St. Francis (Ragnarsson)

Rogatia has a more undulating landscape than its neighbours down in the Guianas, and it's not hard to tell from the map above. Its highest point, Mount Barome in northern Shropshire, stands at 681.58 m (2,236 ft). The provincial peaks, Our Lady of Salvation (204.263 m; 670.154 ft) and Reda's Point (434.648 m; 1,426.010 ft), are respectively found in Elmshire and Yorkshire.

Rogatia owes its name--along with its national motto and two of its urbanyms⊙--to John 16:24.

• In the Latin Vulgate Bible, King James' "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" translates to "usque modo non petistis quicquam in nomine meo; petite, et accipietis, ut gaudium vestrum sit plenum". The then-British government adopted the bolded part as their motto in 1907.
• Rogatia's national holiday, the Major Rogation (held every April 25, except on the 26th or 27th on rare occasions), stems from the Latin rogare ("to ask"), a reference to the verse in question (Melton (2011):748-49). The Rogation falls on the feast day of St. Mark, whose parish namesake (and seat, Young Pond) makes the biggest deal out of it. The tradition goes as far back as the realm's 17th-century Spanish settlers.
• Meanwhile, Shropshire's Gaudium ("joy" or "delight"; from gaudeō) and Elmshire's Vestrum ("yours"; from vester) are derived from said portion of the Scriptures. (There's also a Yorkshire locality named Uskemodo ["until now"; from the opening words].)

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This retool never once left QGIS, Wilbur, and SAGA GIS during its creation. The initial bathymetry was supplied by NOAA; GRASS GIS' r.surf.fractal gave us the building blocks for the nine-stage uplift process; and with Wilbur's Calculate Function feature, all it takes to avoid overclipping the project bounds is the expression "sqr(r/1.25)*zmax" in Stage 1 of the latter.⊙⊙ ("sqr" stands for "square"; "r", the radius of the Cartesian bounds [1/-1/1/-1, top/left/right/bottom]; and "zmax", the maximum height on the DEM.) Meanwhile, standalone SAGA GIS was used to fill in the DEM sinks prior to the drainage generation. As for Granby--the island resembling a pirate's hook--apologies if its existence resulted from an apparent rush job; the land suddenly shoots out from the sea, suggesting (in-universe) the remnants of a volcanic hotspot.

Highway colours: 206/0/89 (3HY--the combined 250-mile Herbert Hancine Highway [Shropshire/Elmshire] and Yorkshire Causeway), 237/48/80 (R-class, Routes), and 164/102/16 (S-class, Secondary). Font family: Franklin Gothic, shipped with Windows 10. Contours, 133/87/78; coast, 67/122/145; lakes and ponds, 138/99/236 (fill) + 48/54/182 (surface). Hypsometric ramp based on u/caledor123's highly recommended original. Contour interval, 50 m; levels before 100 m, 0/5/10/25/50/75. Latitude and longitude lines, 59/28/162 (0.4 mm).

All that said, a partial retcon of the locales and incidents is not out of the question. The sooner we turn the lights back on at its Referata-hosted Encyclopedia, the better.

In related news:

• Diane and Wyorst, heroine and sidekick in the accompanying books, are under stay-at-home orders in their respective countries. Their all-out revenge against the world's worst politicans must wait another several years, and it might not happen in person either. (And now you know the premise of the whole affair.)
• Meanwhile, Rogatia still has three coronavirus cases under its belt; the first recovery took place two days ago.
• And as for this year's Major Rogation, April 27 has already been officially cancelled. (April 25, 2020 falls on a Saturday, so we're indeed dealing with one of those rare "wait till Monday" occasions.)

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So that's it for what was once a mere "Drop in the Ocean"--and I barely beat my maximal deadline, which nowadays is saying a lot. Next we meet, performers in the Panhandle vs. the pandemic of a century, plus the resumption of draft development for Unspooled installment #1, as the Notebook reopens. Up next on the cartographic front, revamps of Vigesima, Novissima + Veritas, and St. Isabel; in another few months, Cicaldia + Tovasala (tie-in to my conlang efforts). Until then, please stay safe, wipe everything down, wash your hands...and happy exploring (with GMaps, OpenStreetMap, Google Earth, and the like).

As always, see you at r/mapmaking and r/ImaginaryMaps.

P.S. This may as well be my final post to originate from the old Steemit. Don't be surprised if we continue on Hive, which I joined some 5-6 hours before press time. Once/if Partiko transitions, I'll let you know or find out from someone else.

⊙ Yes, Virginia, this word does exist.
⊙⊙ For this approach, you can thank one "Travall" by name for inspiration, back in 2018. (Take note of the cancelling-out "square gradient" part.)