Geofiction

Geofiction is the practice of creating fictional geographies and landscapes for worldbuilding, storytelling, and simulation. It involves designing maps, regions, and political units and developing plausible physical and human geography: climate, topography, flora and fauna, population distribution, settlements, transportation networks, and borders.

Practitioners often adopt a geographer's workflow, producing maps, gazetteers, histories, economies, and cultural profiles that fit together in a coherent system. They may work with a defined scale and timeline to coordinate events with narratives or gameplay. Tools range from hand-drawn maps to digital cartography software, GIS, and databases for place names and demographics.

Geofiction has deep roots in science fiction, fantasy, and role-playing communities, but it is also used in academic-style worldbuilding and alt-history projects. Online communities share maps, lore, naming conventions, and world-building conventions to critique and improve each other's work.

Ethical and practical considerations include avoiding direct misrepresentation of real cultures and places, clearly distinguishing fictional locations from real ones, and respecting copyright when drawing inspiration from real-world geographies. The primary aim is internal consistency and creative exploration rather than realism alone.