Is Faerun Europe? Zakhaara Africa/Middle East? Maztica Americas? Kara-Tur Asia?

Amn is Spain, Rasheman is Russia? Tuigans are Mongols? Mazticans are Aztecs? Shou-Lung are Chinese?

To me, these civilizations in 2nd and 3rd edition D&D seem so familiar...

It's not supposed to be, but yea, it copies them more or less.

On a side note; a lot, if not most, of the Faerûnian human gods are taken directly from old pantheons found on Earth too, name and all.

The people, too, to some extent.

The barbarians of Icewind Dale seem to bear some resemblance to the Inuit. The humans in Kara-tur seem to be bound to the family/clan tradition as in ancient China and Japan.

Faerun Region-Resembles
Amn-Spain/Portugal
Calimshan-Turkey
Chessenta-Greece
Chult-Africa
Cormyr-England/France
Damara-Germany
Evermeet-Atlantis
Hordelands-Mongols
Moonshae Isles-Celtic
Mulhorand-Egypt
Rashamen-Russia
Tethyr-Morocco
Thay-Egypt
Vaasa-Babylon

See also: http://www.sorcerers.net/ubb/Forum7/HTML/000671.html

[This message has been edited by Silverblade (edited January 30, 2002).]

ALL fantasy worlds copy some aspects of the historical world. There some settings which do it in a good way, and there are others which do it in a bad way. I think that Forgotten realms is the second case...

Kara-Tur: The Orient, of course. Which parts correspond to Japan, Korea, China, etc., I am not sure. They probably just lumped the three different cultures together into some stereotypical ancient Oriental culture.

What Alyr said, couldn't have said it better myself. :)

Amazing what you can find right here at SP: http://www.sorcerers.net/Fan_Worlds/FR/where.htm