Conversation

How come there are so few actual city-states? Singapore, Monaco, Vatican… that’s it I think. UAE if you relax definition a bit. And the Vatican doesn’t really count. And Monaco is just a wealthy tax shelter, not a real thing. So really just Singapore.
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I think we like city states for the same reason we like toys. Especially adult ones like complex model railroads. It’s like full-scale sim city.
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Also there are zero “hinterland states” with no cities. Those are even less stable. Only chocolate chip cookie topologies work.
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I think the single biggest problem is water. If you invent really cheap desal, tons of coastal cities would be viable as states
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Replying to
> are too attractive to hinterlands to leave alone. You mean "are too attracted to hinterlands to leave them alone"? Or did you intend the other way around? (I think both are good arguments!)
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