My proposal is to find (in the eastern side) a new population starting, as Crete, in an archipelago (is this the correct world?).

Is it possible without changing the map?

Raffaele

It wouldn't require much map just to add Sri Lanka just to the right of India, and start there, but that's just one island, not an archipelago (coorect word, not sure about spelling though).
To get a propper archipelago to the east you would have to add south east asia, then you can extend the map futher and get Indonesia. That would be another 5 or so panels, so that isn't resonable to do just to get an archipelago. It would be nica all in all though, think playing 25 player. That would be a marathon game...
Another option would to go south at the east cost of africa and get madagaskar, but again that's just two islands.
Another option is cyprus, but that's still in the mediteranian, or to invent some non-excisting islands in the arabean sea, just to get that archipilago, but this game is supposed to be historicaly accurate.

All in all I don't see another archipelago civilisation making it into the game.

Alas I thought so.
Another option I saw before posting was Malaysia (Sandokan & Co!) but again we need at aleast as many panels as for Indonesia...

Raffaele