Lantan
Lantan is a grouping of three remote islands north of Chult. It is populated primarily by humans and gnomes, and is thought by many to be the ancestral homeland of the gnomes. The largest and most heavily populated island is Lantan; the more mountainous southern island is Suj; and the third, almost uninhabited island, is Orlil. After Captain Cordell from Amn discovered Maztica, Lantaneses, being the westernmost extension of Faerûn (with the reclusive Evermeet and the enigmatic Nimbral), also claimed some lands.
Lantan is by far the most technologically advanced country on Faerûn, with only the technology of the eastern Shou Empire coming in a close second. After the Time of Troubles, Gond gave the gnomes of Lantan the secret of smokepowder, (Toril's black powder), and they are on the verge of inventing the printing press. Other inventions said to exist in Lantan include the steam engine and rudimentary flying machines not unlike the zeppelin. They still are a minor power, because, due to the emphasis and reliance on magic on the Realms, technology is seldom used.
Read more about this topic: List Of Forgotten Realms Nations