The ULTIMATE Modern OTL Map Challenge

Thande · Mar 27, 2008

At least, I think so.

Here it is: in this thread, post maps of the world, or of individual continents, which show things as they actually are. Not as the United Nations or governments say they are, but the real de facto situation.

Quite easy in the case of Europe, for example (add in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transnistria, etc.) as those disputed states have well-known borders. But what about the difficult regions, like Africa? How would the world look if our maps really showed the areas controlled by various rebel groups or pretender states?

Remember to give any map posted here a specific date. If you prefer, you can also post maps of a past date, providing it's a fairly recent one (say, after 1995) if that means you can collect more accurate data of the different disputed territories.

Good luck!

Thande · Mar 28, 2008

No interest in this? I admit it's daunting, but come on, I know we have some suitable maps of Europe at least already floating around the forum.

Valdemar II · Mar 28, 2008

Thande said:
No interest in this? I admit it's daunting, but come on, I know we have some suitable maps of Europe at least already floating around the forum.

I think the problem is that few people has a idea of how Africa really look at that level.

Krall · Mar 28, 2008

As far as I know, this is what the world looks like.

kojak · Mar 28, 2008

Krall said:
As far as I know, this is what the world looks like.

What's the huge ocean called?

Thande: I will try and have a go at it. Here are some links which may help:

List of unrecognized countries
List of active autonomist and secessionist movements

You're right, it is a daunting task. I think the hardest thing will be to decide what to include in the map and what not to include.

Krall · Mar 28, 2008

kojack said:
What's the huge ocean called?

The Hc Svnt Dracones Ocean.

Rex Britanniae · Mar 28, 2008

Including all secessionist movements and things of that sort, or just those that really hold most of their claimed territory?

Codae · Mar 28, 2008

Rex Britanniae said:
Including all secessionist movements and things of that sort, or just those that really hold most of their claimed territory?

Who holds the power there.

Pkmatrix · Mar 28, 2008

Thande said:
No interest in this? I admit it's daunting, but come on, I know we have some suitable maps of Europe at least already floating around the forum.

It's a great idea, I just don't know where to begin!

I suppose I should start with the easy ones...

strangeland · Mar 28, 2008

Valdemar II said:
I think the problem is that few people has a idea of how Africa really look at that level.

I asked a question similar to this on another forum a few months back and the best they could come up with was a map of African ethnolinguistic groups.

Pkmatrix · Mar 29, 2008

With Africa, rather than look at the whole continent at once it may be best to split it up into smaller regions or perhaps look at each country individually? The Americas, Europe, and Australia should be easy... I don't think I know enough about most of Asia to make a good attempt at it.

fortyseven · Mar 29, 2008

Krall said:
As far as I know, this is what the world looks like.

Very good sir

Stateless · Mar 30, 2008

I think this is a really good idea! Perhaps a list of places that need to be on a map?

Off the top of my head:

Europe

Abkhazia
South Ossetia
Nagorno-Karabakh
Kosovo
North Kosovo
Transnistria
Turkish Cyprus

Africa

Galmudug
Maakhir
Puntland
Somaliland
Western Sahara

Asia

Bangsamoro
Eelam
Palestine

That's for starters - any others?

Lyly · Mar 30, 2008

Here's my version:

Europe
Abkhazia
Chechnya
Spanish Basque Country
South Ossetia
Transnistria
Turkish North Cyprus

Africa
Cabinda
Galmudug
Maakhir
Northern Ivory Coast
Ogaden
Puntland
Sahrawi
Somali Clans
Somaliland
Southern Sudan
Egyptian-Sudanese Border

Asia
Assam
Iraqi Kurdistan
Kashmir

strangeland · Mar 30, 2008

stateless_englishman said:
I think this is a really good idea! Perhaps a list of places that need to be on a map?

Off the top of my head:

Europe

Abkhazia
South Ossetia
Nagorno-Karabakh
Kosovo
North Kosovo
Transnistria
Turkish Cyprus

Africa

Galmudug
Maakhir
Puntland
Somaliland
Western Sahara

Asia

Bangsamoro
Eelam
Palestine

That's for starters - any others?

don't forget the Republika Sprska!

what about Taliban enclaves in Afghanistan?

Also the DRC: I strongly doubt Kinsasha actually controls all the territory to its name, but I'm not sure if anyone knows what a map would actually look like.

Thande · Mar 30, 2008

strangeland said:
Also the DRC: I strongly doubt Kinsasha actually controls all the territory to its name, but I'm not sure if anyone knows what a map would actually look like.

I read in the Economist that Rwandan militias (not actually associated with the Rwandan state) control the entire northeastern third of the DR Congo. Only just over one third of the DRC's theoretical territory, in the west, is actually ruled from Kinshasa.

Stateless · Mar 31, 2008

Is anyone able to find information regarding who really controls what in Iraq? I'm aware that Kurdistan is Kurdish-controlled, but what about the Mehdi army etc?

Max Sinister · Mar 31, 2008

I think Kurdistan should be bigger. And don't forget the situation in Colombia.

Stateless · Mar 31, 2008

This is what I've got so far...comments welcome!

(Check out Uber-Rwanda!)

Thande · Mar 31, 2008

I like it so far, although I think some disputed states are a bit small for the usual-sized world map. Good work on DR Congo, though. I find it's utterly impossible to understand accounts of the Congo conflicts if you look at a normal map instead of one like yours, which actually shows it how it is

EDIT: is Ogaden really that broken off from Addis Ababa's control?