[quote=@Cyclone]
<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

Realistically nations would be smaller but then we run into the issue of half the map being vacant. As in for concentrating all powers, why? At this point in real life, China, the USA, Russia, and several European countries were some of the big powers. That's a pretty big spread. It wasn't all concentrated in one continent.
[/quote]Then we use NPCs like all the other games did.
Also don't confuse exception with the rule.
Especially not when colonialism is going to be a theme here.