Spain’s 1588 Plan for China — the Empresa de China
In the 1580s, Spanish officials and missionaries discussed taking control of Ming China, outlining a step-by-step plan.
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Historical Maps
Historical maps showing territorial changes of countries and historical events of the past.
The Adriatic Tunnel: When Czechoslovakia Dreamed of Boring Through Austria
Countries without coastlines get the short end of the stick. Switzerland figured out how to make it work, but they’re special. Most landlocked nations spend half their time begging neighbors to let goods pass through. Czechoslovakia was fed up with this by the 1970s, leading to one of the most audacious infrastructure dreams of the Cold War era.
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Where Interracial Marriage Was Still Illegal in 1966—Just One Year Before It Was Struck Down
It’s hard to believe, but until 1967, marrying someone of a different race was still illegal in parts of the U.S. This map shows where those bans were still in place just one year before the Supreme Court struck them down for good.
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How China’s Territory Changed Over 3,000 Years Mapped
This map shows how China’s territory expanded and contracted over 3,000 years. From the Yellow River basin to the far edges of Central Asia, the post explores key historical events that defined China’s evolving borders.
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16 Maps That Explain France
Want to see how France’s borders evolved, why it borders Brazil, or where people say “chocolatine”? These 16 carefully selected maps show how geography, history, and identity intersect across the country and beyond.
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Phantom Borders: How Poland’s Past Still Shapes Its Politics
A century after the empires that once ruled Poland vanished, their shadows still linger. This post explores how old imperial borders — now invisible — continue to shape Polish elections.
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“Japan and Russia Will Divide China” (1940 Propaganda Map)
Howard Burke’s unusual propaganda map from 1940 depicted a split China ruled by the Soviet Union and Japan. History changed course decades later, completely reversing the balance of power.
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The Forgotten Map: Choudhry Rahmat Ali’s Vision for Pakistan and the Partition of India
Before the partition of India, Choudhry Rahmat Ali envisioned a divided subcontinent with separate Muslim homelands—including Pakistan, Bangistan, and Osmanistan. While his vision never fully materialized, it influenced the creation of Pakistan and later, Bangladesh. But was partition inevitable? And how do Indian Muslims live today?
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How Luxembourg Lost Three-Quarters of Its Territory
Luxembourg today is just a quarter of its original size. Three territorial splits between 1659 and 1839 gave away most of its land to neighboring countries.
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How Long Was Your Region Part of France? A Look at European Territories Under French Rule
This map reveals the European territories that have been under French rule for different periods, from the heart of modern France to former French possessions. How has this shaped culture, language, and identity across the continent?
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Rome and Re-Rome: A Map That Puts Two Empires Side by Side
Mussolini wanted to bring back the Roman Empire. This map shows how far he got—and just how much the two empires really had in common.
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Gibraltar’s Hidden Growth: How a Tiny British Territory Has Been Secretly Expanding Since 1854
When Britain acquired Gibraltar in 1713, it was just a rocky military outpost. Today, it’s much more than that – and bigger too. Through centuries of careful expansion and land reclamation, Gibraltar has literally grown beyond its original borders, creating space for a thriving community of 33,000 people.
Read more: Gibraltar’s Hidden Growth: How a Tiny British Territory Has Been Secretly Expanding Since 1854
Nazi School Map: How Nazis Claimed Germany as the Source of Civilization
Discover how Nazi educational materials used pseudoscientific maps to promote the myth of Germanic origins for all major civilizations.
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