Quote:You haven't mentioned what these people will be like culturally which, to my mind, will govern what they do with their technological knowledge.
Well, first, the technical period in question is more to the order of 1910-1920; steam and, in setting, wind power are already well developed.
If these people live with only limited water supplies and arable land, how do they split it up? Are there huge class divisions where only a few people have all of the resources? If so, what mechanisms are in place to prevent uprisings? Is there a lot of fighting?
What about population control? The higher the population, the fewer resources per capita will be available. Are there enough wars that the population is kept low enough, or are there other measures in place?