TL;DR – We map all of the eras of Humankind all in one map … okay many maps

Humankind Map

One of the joys I get is mapping out universes, while I have charted out movie universes like the MCU and Grand Designs. However, one of my favourite things has been charting how 4X video games explore the world and its history. Today, I get to update one of the most complicated maps I have ever made for this channel, charting all of Humankind up to the Cultures of Oceania DLC from Amplitude Studios and Sega.

We started this mapping process last year, and it took many different attempts before we found a mapping system that worked. Chaos mode is fun, but it is not always revealing. The First Map covered everything from the base game and up to the Cultures of Latin America DLC. This update includes everything since then, including the Para Bellum Wonders Pack, the Together We Rule Expansion Pack, and the titular Cultures of Oceania DLC.

As a reminder, we have split all the content into eras, and if you want to look at the chaos of what we get when all of them are together, then wait until the end. As always, a big thanks to the Humankind Wiki for collating all the cities for me so I did not have to dive into the code. Also, if you want to find out more about all the locations indicated on the map, check out our Humankind Cartographic Educational Database.

While all attempts have been made to ensure that everything is accurately placed, putting this together meant working from multiple sources, map projections, and sometimes not firm locations. As such, no matter how much you try, there might be slight discrepancies. With that in mind, let us dive into the maps. Also, please note that the map files are pretty big, so there may be loading issues if you are looking on Mobile.  

Ancient Era

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This time, we get a bit more coverage with the Pama-Nyungan culture, the primary language group for Indigenous Australians. While they have gone for a broad category, the actual locations are clustered around the Simpson Desert and around Kati Thanda. But it does mean we are close to one of the new natural wonders, Uluṟu. Adding to the cluster around Mesopotamia, we also get the Sumerians, and Babylon gets a bit cut because of it.   

Classical Era  

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The Classical Era was a frustration for me again, but this time, it was an entire city list that I could not place. I just hit a brick wall with the Polynesian City List and eventually had to seek help from the Civfanatic Forum. From what we can tell, the city list comes from the Proto-Oceanic Language and doesn’t map to a specific location. For this reason, we have put the names closest to the language centres that use that version of Proto-Oceanic. This means we get something that more closely mirrors the Lapita People, who are already in the game as Independent People.

Medieval Era 

In the Medieval Era, I think I need to be clear that I know that I went ‘slightly’ overboard with Rapa Nui. I really got into making that Easter Island insert and finding all the Moai locations. It was only when I pulled back to see the entire map that I noticed just how big I had made it … and I didn’t have the heart to fix it. I am also glad that I spent the time updating Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia on the map a while back because they became invaluable here.

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Early Modern Era 

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For the first and probably only time in one of these maps, I got to use white as one of the cultures. It usually does not get used because it does not play well with the ocean tiles, but the Swiss are all landlocked. It was odd to discover that Geneva was not on the Swiss list, but I am unsure if that is because I am missing something in European history. We also get many more Cultural Wonders, but please, Paris is so full. So, so, Full. Also, the islands of New Zealand get a lot of love this time around, this era with the Māori.

Industrial Era 

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With the Industrial era, we get more complications in the British Isles with the addition of the Scots. It is almost as complicated as Mesopotamia … almost. It was also lovely to learn more about Hawaiian history as we dived into that city list, though one of them was a touch different from the rest.  

Contemporary Era 

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In the Contemporary era, we get the reverse Rapa Nui with Singapore. I think I just fit it in there, but if I had time back, I think it might be time for a Singaporean insert. Meanwhile, the Australia/ New Zealand pair comes to completion.

Full Eras Map 

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We end with the final map that combines all the previous maps into what looks like some artwork where they explode paint cans. I was honestly not sure how it would look at the end, but I kind of like it more and more each time I look at it. Some cultures get a bit lost in the fray, but I think there is no way to do a map like this and not have that happen somehow. It is also full of all these tiny imperfections that part of me wants to go through pixel by pixel and fix, but the rational part of my head knows that it would probably take as long as all the maps are put together and that imperfections are what bring character. I also like that we see all these areas of concentration, like in the Valley of Mexico and along river valleys, even though it took forever to get those city placements right.

With that, we come to the end of our map of Humankind, though we will update it if anything new comes out. Also, if you have another 4X game that you think would be good to be mapped, let us know in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you seen any odd maps in Movies, TV or Video Games?, let us know in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day.

– The World Map that we used as a base several iterations ago was created by ‘San Jose’ which is shared with a Creative Commons Licence.

– The Nation detail maps America, Antarctica, Australia 1, Australia 2, Canada, Caribbean, China, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Europe Relief, Fiji, French Polynesia, Gilbert Islands, Germany, Greece, Hawaii, Italy, Japan, India, New Zealand, Netherlands, Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Micronesia, Samoa, Scandinavia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Tonga, Valley of Mexico & Vietnam that we used for reference were shared with a Creative Commons Licence or was in the public domain. They were originally created by Aotearoa, Alexrk2, Antigoni, E Pluribus Anthony, Eric Gaba, Fut Perf, Htonl, Koyos, L. Claudel, Li Chao, Maximilian Dörrbecker, NASA, NgaViet, NordNordWest, Shadowfox, Silver Spoon, Szczureq, Tubs, Tyk, Yavidaxiu & Yug.

– The River Maps Amazon, Amu Darya, Amur, Aras, Colorado, Columbia, Congo, Danube, Dnieper, Don, Elbe, Fraser, Horn of Africa Rivers, Indus, Karun, Kizilirmak, Kuban, Lena, Liao, Limpopo, Loire, Mackenzie, Mekong and Irrawaddy, Niger, Nile, Ob, Okavango, Pearl, Rhein, Río de la Plata, Sefīd, Saint Lawrence, São Francisco, Syr Darya, Tarim, Tigris and The Euphrates, Vistula, Volga, Yangtze, Yellow, Yenisei, Yukon & Zambezi  that we used as a guide for this Map was shared with a Creative Commons Licence or in the Public Domain. They were originally created by СафроновАВ, DEMIS, Emma Pease, Francis McLloyd, Hel-Hama, Imagico, Keenan Pepper, Kmusser, MatthiasKabel, Qyd, Shannon1, Sting, Ulamm & The United Nations.