The River Kingdoms are the Balkans. They have no real sense of collective rule, lots of petty princes and opportunistic bandits carving out small city states and territory. Iobaria is an eerily depopulated version of the Russian steppes.
For an interesting idea, what if Razmir decided to expand east and take over the rest of the River Kingdoms, forcing Brevoy to turn west and truly unite into an expansive power? Or the undead forces in Ustalav came to power once more, forming into a unholy legion equivalent to the Teutonic Knights that spread east? Especially if they defeat this world's equivalent of Alexander Nevski, since there is no Golden Horde to stop them...
Mendev is the spitting image of El Cid style middle ages Spain. Or, at least, it's the spitting image of how middle ages Spain saw herself during the reconquista. Mendev is not the Crusader States. The crusades were a foreign war...an invasion of distant holy lands. The reconquista was, ideologically at least, a "reconquest" of lands usurped by a foreign invader. The Queen of Mendev is Lawful Good, but her Captains and Warlords range from idealistic to outright evil, as do her inquisitors. Again, perfect for the reconquista.
Remember that in the middle ages Spain was not a unified country (unless you can say it was unified under the Moors). It was unified by the spirit of the reconquista, and that war was fought for 800 years. It created a martial culture so that by the time that war was won Spaniards were looking for new lands and cultures to conquer like their "heroic" forebears. The discovery of the New World was the perfect outlet for that aggressive spirit.
Actualy Mendev could be more like middle-age Prussians or other eastern Slavon states when faced by Mongol hordes.
Taldor and Cheliax are very Spain like and also France like
W E Ray is right, Brevoy, Ustalav etc are Russian Slavic. Founded by the Norse Ulfen...
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It really is amazing how several cultures are mixed with new ideas in the nations of Golarion.
Just about Taldor, i can see the references to the Byzantine and to Spain are many. Just in the military you have:
Ulfen Guard = Obvious parallel to the Byzantine Varangian Guard
Rondeleiro = Spanish word to describe a spanish fighting style
Army of Exploration = The concept is very spanish in itself and i believe it's a translation of a spanish or portuguese term
I have Taldor as a Spain-Rome mix in my campaign world.
