[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by CCIP

The game maps are based on what I suspect is the SRTM data, a freely-available set of terrain elevation files taken by space shuttle radar. These were acquired in the late 90s, so that's why that represents a world that's obviously not from WWII.

The other thing of note is that SHIII only models water that is at sea level in the real world (again, as per SRTM data). This is why the great lakes are waterless - the real things are well above sea level. It's possible to edit them in, but the editing would be a little trickier than it initially looks. You'd have to lower all the terrain around them as well and remove things like rapids and the Niagara Falls - effectively making the waterways flat. The flat water modeling does make some sense though - the game mostly takes place in the ocean...

^+1