Welcome to Lindsen! It's a sub-continent to the east of the Gorsen Mountains, which are rich in mineral deposits. Sure, the soil is bad and rocky and the climate can get pretty cold, especially up north, but here there's some of the richest oil and coal deposits in the whole world! Perhaps that's why the many nations of this divided region have turned up many industrial powers, short-lived as many may be.
The largest nation in this region is the northeaster Lindsen(the country, not the continent). They are believed to be the direct descendants of the original humans who migrated here before the theorized Ice Bridge melted and cut them off permanently from their old home, where savages still reign supreme. Well, nobody knows for sure, because any ships that leave the shallow waters kilometers from shore are sure to be attacked by sea monsters.
It's not, like, superstition or anything. There are actual sea monsters, and they eat boats and stuff.
Recently, only sixty or so years ago, in fact, Lindsen entered an exciting new era as rapid scientific advances allowed for the creation of advanced machines such as birdless carriages, airships, machine manufacturies, and many such beneficial innovations. While some worry about the negative effects releasing large amounts of smoke into the air will have, little actual consequences have been detected by scientists.
With this wave of advance comes the ultimate ideology of populism----where the people choose their leaders, widely regarded as the culmination and final form of State. In the true Lindsen spirit, a compromise between the nobles and commoners was reached. Political candidates come from noble families, guaranteeing that they are educated and enlightened.
Long ago, the matriarchic ancestors of the modern Lindsenians were theorized to have migrated across the Great Ice Bridge, where the many man-eating birds and other such carnivorous animals put the hunting skills of these ancient men at the forefront of society, a trend that has continued to this day.
With recent improvements in shipbuilding, new steamers with steel bottoms will finally be able to resist the crushing bites of sea monsters. Parties have already planned for a joint expedition, which will no doubt foster unity between the many nations of Lindsen (the region, not the country). If successful, they will succeed in civilizing the savages who still remain in their homelands, and exploit the fertile soils for their own use. Surely nothing could possibly go wrong, right?