when i see all thos maps i start to imagine if the deities are involved. Parallel of my world building, i try to think about everything, and i believe deities are the principal reason where the cities can be placed. Basically all is defined by religion. Depending of the beliefs, the kingdoms will be formed with personal target.
After the beliefs, economics and social will define the power of each place, giving the vision about other features like military and technology.

Sometimes i see just defined deities and not a origin, so i decide make a structure to find out where and how the inhabitants of the will will bear a life.
My power Structure follow this hierarchy, relating from the 1st heaven/ Limbo to the cores ( where the world is created)

Heaven Limbo
Creator/God Nothing
Archangels High Demons (Archangels in the opposite side)
Deities Dukes of the Deamons
Blessed Souls ( like Buddha and Jesus) Mitical Deities with independent reasons, but extremely powerful (like Zeus, Odin)
Angels Demons
Spirits Independent entities, fairies, gnomes
Feeding all this, we have specially humans, that create everything with the power of Faith. the other creatures that living in the world will just follow that creation. With some importance the other creatures do not contribute with the sustenance of the all structure, using the power of the Faith. But they can influence the other people to believe in what they believe.
Sometimes some deities need some power from the believers, but maybe don't earn enough faith to keep living, where enter the sacrifices, like elves sacrifing the best person of your generation, for example.
I forgot to meant that all the structure co-exists and all places need each other to keep existing. in this case, each thing that happen in one world can affect the other layers. just figuring a war btw angels/ demons can explain a unespected volcano eruption or a tsunami. It gives a nice sense why some countries are powerful in some ages, some economics flow nice in determined part of the history.