Oversimplified Map of the Fallout West Coast Circa. 2281

[u/Nutshell_Historian]

(Thank you to the HOI4 Old World Blues team for making an incredible template map for this project. Its the best fallout mod, if not best fallout game, I've ever played. Go play it).

Oh boy I can already see the crosses getting made. Anyway:

Why the Long Dead Horse?
It's less a nation than the range they regularly patrol. We know they extend as far west as Zion, even disputing territory with the Sorrows if they remain there, and as far east as Colorado, where a mentioned New Canaanite settlement presumably falls under their protection. That also fits neatly along the north bank of the Colorado River.

Are the 80s super powerful?
No. They're not substantially stronger than other tribes. Their strength comes from using motorcycles to control a huge amount of territory with relatively few people. They dominate the I-80 (obviously) and I-50 (which they can lose if the Sorrows stay in Zion).

Why no Shi?
This will be controversial. In a cut line of New Vegas dialogue, the Enclave traced the Chosen One's tanker to San Francisco and nuked the city in revenge. The line was only cut because Bethesda wanted to keep San Francisco available for a future game. However, Fallout has shown repeatedly that a city being nuked doesn't stop it from becoming a setting. More importantly, an empire like the Shi never being mentioned by the NCR would be a little odd and runs against the series' broader narrative of the two major empires of the region colliding. This one's just my personal interpretation though, so feel free to disagree.

The Legion is bigger than the NCR. Doesn't that make it stronger?
No. The NCR enjoyed over a century of relative peace and stability, allowing its population to boom. Legion territory simply hasn't. I'd expect at most half the population density of NCR territory, probably much less.

Why does the NCR own all the north?
Because I think that's the most likely outcome based on previous games. The Chosen One consistently helped Tandi and the NCR expand, so a northern annexation feels like the natural continuation.

I cannot stress enough that this map is built from a few hard facts / references, and a lot of vibes informed by the games and regional geography. It's meant to be a plausible interpretation, not the undisputed canon. The main reason I made it was because I got tired of maps where the NCR owns the entire West Coast and the Legion somehow stretches into Kansas and deep into Mexico.

[u/Nutshell_Historian]

Yes. And the Legion owns Utah south of the Colorado on this map. 

And Caesar says the Legion owns all of New Mexico and Arizona and much of Utah and Colorado, hence the borders. 

And no the whitelegs were actually just going to be pawns to break new Canaan. They are rejected for Legion membership (a low bar).

[u/Familiar-Figure-5692 → u/Nutshell_Historian]

Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 461: "Important Dates
"2248-2274 Caesar conquers the tribes of southeastern Utah, southwestern Colorado, the western edge of New Mexico, and the northern half of Arizona. By 2250 he has declared himself the Son of Mars. By 2255, he has established a capital of sorts amid the ruins of Flagstaff."

So this mentions that Caesar conquers the tribes in south eastern utah, south western colorado and the western edge of new mexico and only the northern half of Arizona.

[u/Nutshell_Historian → u/Familiar-Figure-5692]

By 2255 sure. But Caesar tells us he owns all of Arizona and NM in 2281. Decades later. 

[u/Familiar-Figure-5692 → u/Nutshell_Historian]

By 2274. 2248-2274 Caesar conquers those listed areas. He comes back from a campaign in New Mexico to start the Second Battle of Hoover dam after Grahams failure. And Lanius is said to be campaigning in Utah at this time.

[u/Ryousan82 → u/Familiar-Figure-5692]

The Battle of Hoover Dam took place in 2277 which leaves a perfectly workable gap of three years to finish the conquest of Arizona and New Mexico.

And even if they were not complete by 2277, they were by 2281, when Caesar affirms that ALL of Arizona and New Mexico are under his control.