All comments below relate to what happens in hands of AI unless stated otherwise.
England: Aberdeen and Dublin are barb cities. England will eventually take Aberdeen. Iceland is thoroughly occupied - good luck trying to seize it :) AI does not settle Plymouth (3W of London) - however it is an excellent spot and human can flip Dublin by culture.
France: no longer has to contend with Germans to immediate East. Barb city of Danawirki to NE is excellent spot, however has walls and culture and a berserker to defend it. France is still immensely powerful in human hands and can dominate with early culture - the AI less so - can be strong or weak per random factors.
Spain: now settles on coast 1NE from Madrid - excellent spot, equates to Pamplona though AI still calls it Madrid. Has two horses in BFC subject always to kulturkampf with Paris. Ilissipona (Lisbon) is barb city on Western coast. Generally Spanish AI captures it, though on one test they wiped out the Spanish.
Rome: SIP, barb city of Panormus (Palermo) to South - flips culturally. Barb city of Boiiwarja (Bavaria), North of Alps and Danube - has walls and culture. In North Africa, barb cities of Kart-Hadasht (Carthage) and Lpcy-Leptis - resources added to make them good spots - generally Rome capture Kart-Hadasht, Lpcy can generate fascinating struggles between Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.
Germans: one of the biggest changes in the game, the Germans start in Scandinavia sourrounded by barbs. The capital is Gothenland in Sweden - historians/ethnologists speculate that this is in fact the German Urheimat. Certainly the Germanic tribes did not "start" in Berlin. Has one unit in central Europe which immediately captures Koenigsberg - however AI barbs will recapture. Result is Germans will try to recapture it and begin their historic southerly migration. There are three barbs cities in Scandi - Alesund, Bodo and Oulu - so, just as in reality, it takes a while before the Germans and Russians get into endless wars :) Also central Europe remains barbarian for quite a while - the question is who dominates it?
Russians: still immensely powerful in human hands, not so much with AI-control. Tends to expand too early and lose cities to barbs. Most important change is settles 1S of normal tile - much better spot. Also gets a free worker (because otherwise too weak under AI).
Greece: Greece is very fun and playable and you will not need to make a settler for ages, if ever. Starts surrounded by barb cities - Zakros on Krete, Illyria to NW and Byzantion to N - reflects the fact the Greek ancient history is one of unification, not expansion through settlement. In AI hands the Greeks can be strong or weak, in human hands pretty strong. Zakros flips culturally in any event and becomes site of kulturkampf between Greek and Egypt - reflects ancient Minoan civilization as being having both Egyptian and Greek characteristics. Zakros is in reality a fascinating site in the far East of Krete with an enormous Minoan palace. Have added resources to make all cities viable - Zakros also gets marble in Anatolia which equates to the mainland site of Marmaris - how cool is that?! :)
Persia: quite a few changes, Persepolis is now 2W on the dye, which is also a hill as is the tile above. Reasons: umm, because that is where Persepolis was :) Also much better site, coastal and more defensive (on hill). Hills are important geographic change to represent reality that Persepolis (and most of central Persia/Iran) is a vast plateau.
For human there is a great spot in Afghanistan which catches cow, sheep and horses - equates to Lashkar Gar or Kandahar - good for wonders and kulturkampf with India. AI does not like that spot however :/ Very fun, playable and difficult civ, well worth a spin.
Arabia: Mecca unchanged, two barb cities to S and E (Al-Yaman and Masirah). Stoney beach for Al-Yaman (Yemen) boosts production, provided you capture it of course :) Masirah not productive - however awesome GP farm. Again in a perfect reflection of history, Arabs must first unify their peninsula before getting ambitious ... very fun, playable and strong in human hands, variable with AI but always interesting.
Egypt: still immensely strong in human hands, ticks along nicely with AI. Has lots of barbs to South and Mali is also much stronger - very fun and playable.
Mali: some important changes. Capital is Gossi - much better spot anyway, and with stone added on desert hill 2N. Captures Agadir immediately and gets iron - sea-food added for viability. However it is not all good news, Mansa is surrounded by barbs - units and cities. In AI hands Mali survives and eventually overcomes barbs and becomes a potent civ. In human hands, though I have not tested, I would guess very powerful civ - perhaps too easy.
India: not many changes, some barb lions added. Biggest novelty is ancient city of Amri (barbarian) to SW - represents ancient civs of the Indus Valley - good spot with added sea-food. Also keeps the Persians and Indians apart for a while longer than normal.
China: China was one of the biggest motives and challenges in the map - how to stop it becoming overwhelmingly powerful? Significant barbs (units and cities) in SE Asia, Taiwan is also barbarian (city of Ketangalan-Taipei) with culture. Korea is represented by Wirye-Seong (another barb city). All the same, China still a potent civ and I suspect very potent in human hands. Also some important changes to . . .
Mongolia: capital relocated 2E 1N to south bank of Lake Baigal - much better spot. Two sweet barb cities to NE and NW (Ilyu-Ene and Buryat-Angara) which Mongol AI eventually captures. Makes for excellent balance - Mongols do not get wiped out, nor are they too strong. Again probably very strong and very fun in human hands though I have not play-tested.
Japan: have added river to represent separate islands, also permits Aumon (on silver) to be a bit more productive late-game with levee. Spot on gold in far south (Kagoshima) now has fish. More sea-food in N to make northern coast more attractive (though I do not bother settling it, AI does and gets a decent city). Important change is Ryuku-Okinawa is barb city (one one-tile island to S) with culture - more sea-food makes Okinawa and Taipei perfectly viable though one tile apart. Fascinating historic fact: Japan did not annex Okinawa/Ryukyu islands until 1609 - too cool :) Human player should build city on gold when culture permits and try some kulturkampf - too strong to take militarily until mid to late game.
Japan still awesomely strong and fun in human hands, ticks along nicely under AI control and sometimes occupies/settles Manchuria - which is also historic and leads to some exciting stuff with the Mongols and Chinese.
A note to humans about oil: on the vanilla map one has to settle Borneo and wait for plastics to get the oil in Brunei (fwiw I prefer the spot on the river - Kuching). However there is also offshore oil in Alaska - added in case Japan gets into trouble with Chinese or Indian expansion and needs oil to survive.
Good luck occupying Indonesia, Papua and Australia - barb heaven/hell! You will need modern units to stand a chance (pretty realistic though). However Philippines remain a sweet and unoccupied spot - when I settle it I call it Masbate which is geographically justified and a name of northern (though I think Chinese) origin.
America: a big challenge was to achieve balance between America and Aztecs, which I think has been finally achieved (after only 30+ previous attempts!). Surrounded by barbs (cities mainly, not units so much) which eventually America captures to become a decent civ. Barbs also keep Monty away for longer. Some minor terrain changes make the land a bit more productive. Have not play-tested - would guess very fun, playable and strong in human hands.
Aztecs: very few changes, just added barbs to prevent Monty becoming too strong too quickly and wiping out the Americans. In several play-tests, AI North America has proven to be exceptionally balanced well into the game. Have not play-tested - again would guess very fun etc.
Inca: some huge changes here, though AI Inca remains something of a spectator though in much better shape. Capital is Chincha 2W of original Cuzco - much better spot and have added fish as well. Barb city of Copiapo to South - fish added, copper unchanged. Immediately AI captures Cueva-Yaviza, north of Andes (now modern Panama but not Panama City). After a time also captures Cayambe Coca to South, which is in fact an important ancient site (now interior of Ecuador) and an awesome spot - much better than the coastal town the Inca normally settle. Galapagos islands are now an awesome spot for Moai Statues - however AI has not colonized it yet :/
However it not all a free ride - rest of SAmercia has three barb cities and units - AI struggles and often loses it first settlement (Aragua/Caracas/Venezuela), though I suspect very potent in human hands (since Inca is potent on the vanilla map anyway, with correct treatment).
And last but not least ...
BARBARIANS! :))
Cities: clockwise-ish from Greenland:
Nuuk in Greenland: now an excellent spot with fish, whale, aluminium and copper (or iron, cannot quite remember). A most worthy object of expansion!
Akureyn, Iceland: pretty heavily defended, unchanged geography/resources.
Alesund and Bodo, Norway: sweet spots though near to new/old German capital of Gothenland.
Oulu, northern Finland: very good spot, some resources added. Again between Germans and Russians so one of them will get it. Play-tested as Russians and opened borders to western civs - one of them (prob France or Spain) may get ambitious and start capturing these cities.
Khanty-Mansi, Narym: awesome spots in Siberia, pretty tough nuts to crack :)
Buryat-Angara, Ilyu-Ene: again good spots in Siberia, NW and NE of Mongolia.
Sakhalin: semi-decent spot, coastal, good in late game, sea-food and mineral added for viability.
Kamchatka: spot in far south in grotty Kamchatka Peninsula. Just added for fun and flavour.
Alasxsaq: crazy native spelling of Alaska :) Added for flavour, land-locked so pretty inaccessible. Starts with worker other side of mountains to improve - however AI does not take the hint :)
Dakota, Bodewadmi, Yelamu: very decent spots in NAmerica equating to Dakota (you guessed!), Milwaukee and San Francisco. America eventually conquers first two, latter slows down Monty a bit (balance).
Abaetetuba, Jaboticatubas, Charrua: again very decent spots in SAmerica equating to modern Belem, Belo Horizonte and Buenos Aires. Belo Horizonte is one of the most awesome spots in the entire game though AI *never ever* settles it, preferring the coast.
Mongbwalu, Ai-Ais and eThekwini: central and southern Africa. All excellent/awesome spots - eThekwini equates to modern Durban and is one of the best spots in the game. Ai-Ais (southern Namibia on border with SAfrica) is good anyway and now has some sea-food. Mongbwalu is awesome spot when full developed (presently still wholly undeveloped in north of DRC).
Danawirki, Boiiwarja, Koenigsberg, Tallinn, Lepel: all good spots in northern/central/eastern Europe equating to southern Denmark, Bavaria, Kaliningrad, Estonia and Belorus.
Illyria, Byzantion, Sinuwa, Harranu, Urusalim: eastern/southeastern Europe and Middle East: Illyria is modern Albania, Byzantion is Istanbul/Konstantinoupolis, Harranu is an ancient site on west bank of Euphrates now in southern Turkey, Urusalim is Jerusalem.
Al-Yaman, Masirah: Arabian Peninsula - Yemen and Oman. Neat point: main industry of Masirah is fishing per wikipedia :)
And actually probably about five or six others - I do not want to give all the secrets away:)
Anyway I have put a lot of thought into this map and I hope that some of you at least will gain as much pleasure from it as I do :)