Empty Americas

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2 total messages Started by "Troosvelt" Thu, 29 Jan 2004 21:42

#99903

Author: "Troosvelt"
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 21:42

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I expect this has been done before but it's an interesting idea.

POD: Although people frequently refer to the crossing of the land bridge as
a fluid process it was actually quite gradual. Best evidence is that people
gathered on the Bering Plain and remained there until flooding forced them
out.

The movement to the Americas was because the flooding first cut off the
route back to Asia.

So what if the flooding was the other way around. The route to the Americas
is cut and 90% or more of those in the plain head back to Asia.

There would certainly be some who moved into the Americas, but not nearly as
many as IOTL.

So the Americas are basically uninhabited when Europe arrives.

Re: Empty Americas

#99910

Author: "Kaiser Wilhelm
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2004 17:37

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"Troosvelt" <troosvelt@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:0dadnUf2afdXc4TdRVn-gQ@comcast.com...
> I expect this has been done before but it's an interesting idea.
>
> POD: Although people frequently refer to the crossing of the land bridge
as
> a fluid process it was actually quite gradual. Best evidence is that
people
> gathered on the Bering Plain and remained there until flooding forced them
> out.

I'd refer you to Doug Hoff's excellent "Empty America" TL, part 10a of which
has just been posted.

> The movement to the Americas was because the flooding first cut off the
> route back to Asia.
>
> So what if the flooding was the other way around. The route to the
Americas
> is cut and 90% or more of those in the plain head back to Asia.
>
> There would certainly be some who moved into the Americas, but not nearly
as
> many as IOTL.
>
> So the Americas are basically uninhabited when Europe arrives.

If there's any people here at all, natural increase would have filled up the
Americas within the 12,000 years or so required.  It might take longer, but
it would still happen.  Even if we posit a net population increase of 0.1% a
year (in practice, 1% should be quite doable, and even 3% a year possible)),
that would turn an initial population of even 100 people into over 16
million people within the time frame, and thus a reasonably well-inhabited
America.

If the Americas are, in fact, uninhabited, then you get the Vikings shipping
mammoths and mastodons back to Europe, and all the other fun stuff in Doug's
Empty America TL.

Cheers,
Kaiser Wilhelm III

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