Map of the Himalaya: Where the Range Runs and What Sits Behind It
The Himalaya is usually drawn as a line, and that is the first thing to unlearn. It is a belt several hundred kilometres deep, made…
Map of the Mediterranean: Three Continents Around One Sea
The Mediterranean is the rare sea that organises three continents around itself instead of separating them. Europe to the north, Africa to the south, Asia…
Map of the Caribbean: 700 Islands, 13 Countries and a Lot of Confusion
The Caribbean is one of the hardest regions to read off a map, because what looks like a single scatter of islands is in fact…
Raja Ampat, Indonesia: The Reefs That Started the Whole Coral Triangle Idea
Raja Ampat sits at the far eastern edge of Indonesia, closer to Papua New Guinea than to Bali, and it takes real effort to reach….
Map of the Caucasus: Where Europe and Asia Actually Meet
Ask a geographer where Europe ends and Asia begins, and the Caucasus is one of the few places on Earth where the answer is genuinely…
Map of the Arctic: Sea Ice, Shipping Routes and Who Owns What
Antarctica has a landmass under its ice. The Arctic does not. At the top of the world sits an ocean, frozen over for most of…
Map of Antarctica: Ice Sheets, Mountains and Territorial Claims
Antarctica is the only continent with no countries on it. Seven states have filed territorial claims, most other states recognise none of them, and the…
Map of Central America: Seven Countries on a Narrow Bridge of Land
Central America is a bridge. A strip of land around 500 kilometres wide at its broadest and under 50 at its narrowest, joining two continents…
Map of Oceania: How the Pacific Splits Into Four Regions
Oceania is the hardest region to read on a world map. Most of it is water. The land adds up to a small share of…
Yogyakarta and Borobudur: what changed and how to plan it
Yogyakarta is the cultural capital of Java and the base for two of the largest temple complexes in Southeast Asia. Most travellers give it a…