Completely agree and a lot of good suggestions. It seems like most of the natural borders are ignored. A lot of castles are also placed in terrible spots. For example, I think in your 5th post, south-west of Jamarys, there is a castle all the way on the southern coast, but it is protecting nothing. The castle should be more to the north (where Arpotis is), with its bound villagers to its south.
Combined with the strategic positions, I also think the products produced often don't make sense. Olives and grapes are produced in provinces that have a permanent winter, for example. I believe the developers have attempted to give every kingdom/region a diverse economy, but the game needs a lot more specialization of goods in certain regions.