Two reasons:
- Many noobs can't seem to comprehend that in balanced maps, every country has (almost) the same chance of winning, They pick Germany, Japan, Britain and etc. because those were the strongest countries in WW2, and they believe that those countries have the biggest chance of winning the game, even in balanced maps.
- Island nations like Britain and Japan are useful for players who aren't active very often, as any invasion of those countries would take longer, and the player would have more time to react. Also, many experienced players favor island nations because they won't be attacked in the first couple days (usually) and they can start building up quicker and be more in command of their gameplay.
I like japan and borneo, those are my top favorite countries
