With a POD in 1783 (the year of the laki eruptions where 25% of the population would die to famine) , how can we have the population of Iceland, by 2020, be bigger than OTL (336k) and what PODs are necessary to achieve this?
With a POD in 1783 (the year of the laki eruptions where 25% of the population would die to famine) , how can we have the population of Iceland, by 2020, be bigger than OTL (336k) and what PODs are necessary to achieve this?
Could potatoes grow in Iceland?Honestly beside keeping Iceland poorer in the 20th century, Iceland did everything right to increase its population.
I would instead go two century further back and let the Basque fishermen/whalers introduce potatoes (realistic) and quinoa/amaranth (far less realistic).
Could potatoes grow in Iceland?
Wow. I knew potatoes were a versatile crop, but I didn't know they could grow in conditions that harsh. If they can grow in Greenland, they can grow pretty much anywhere.Yes, in fsct it can also grow in Greenland.
Wow. I knew potatoes were a versatile crop, but I didn't know they could grow in conditions that harsh. If they can grow in Greenland, they can grow pretty much anywhere.
Could there also be a way to make seaweed aquaculture become better known in the area to lead to an additional food source?
I'm not sure any of this would increase the population by much, but it probably would reduce the impact of famine and malnutrition, letting Iceland bounce back quicker after epidemics. Likely also that plus healthier populace would make the island richer and able to support more livestock which could spur the growth of an actual city there. OTL there was nothing larger than a village until Reykjavik was founded.
I thought the issue was more that Iceland was so poor and the population almost entirely smallscale fishermen and farmers that there was no reason to permit the organisation of a large market town and no reason to form one since fishing/farming in the villages was sufficient enough.The reason why Reykjavik wasn’t bigger was because the Danish crown banned anyone beside the central administration from living there permanently. The Danish crown was afraid that if they didn’t the entire Icelandic population would move there and become fishermen, and let the “farmland” go fallow and leave the island open to takeover by others.
I thought the issue was more that Iceland was so poor and the population almost entirely smallscale fishermen and farmers that there was no reason to permit the organisation of a large market town and no reason to form one since fishing/farming in the villages was sufficient enough.
Do you have a good source by any chance? I'm interested in this because my TL includes a richer medieval/early modern Iceland.
Could there also be a way to make seaweed aquaculture become better known in the area to lead to an additional food source?
Seaweed was already eaten.
Basques are not into potatoes and tend to not want to eat anything that grows underground.Honestly beside keeping Iceland poorer in the 20th century, Iceland did everything right to increase its population.
I would instead go two century further back and let the Basque fishermen/whalers introduce potatoes (realistic) and quinoa/amaranth (far less realistic).
I meant more large scale aquaculture, but fair.Seaweed was already eaten.
I mean, we already know they can be grown on Mars...Wow. I knew potatoes were a versatile crop, but I didn't know they could grow in conditions that harsh. If they can grow in Greenland, they can grow pretty much anywhere.
Wait, WHAT?! This can't be true.I mean, we already know they can be grown on Mars...
Wait, WHAT?! This can't be true.