Map policy
We show who controls territory on the ground today (de-facto), we mark every dispute as disputed, we cite our source for each contested feature, and we take no position on any sovereignty dispute. Showing a line is never an endorsement.
Accuracy first
Countries, borders, and regions are drawn from public-domain cartographic data (Natural Earth via world-atlas). The AI narrator never invents borders or coordinates — it references places by their ISO 3166 codes and a curated catalog of disputes, and every reference is validated against exact geometry before anything is shown.
Neutral by policy, not by omission
Disputed borders are drawn as disputed — dashed or dotted, in a neutral amber, never in a national color — and labeled with who administers and who claims the area (“administered by X, claimed by Y”). We never silently switch borders based on where you are viewing from.
Every dispute is sourced
The disputed-territory dataset is curated and cited by hand — not AI-generated. Each contested feature carries its sources (UN cartographic references, treaties, Natural Earth). Tap a disputed region during a lesson to see why it is contested and where that comes from.
Disclaimer
The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names, and related data shown here do not imply any judgment on the legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of any boundary, on the part of Atlas or its authors.
Disputes currently in the catalog
- Kashmir — Line of ControlLine of Control — administered by India (east) and Pakistan (west); Aksai Chin administered by ChinaSources: UN Cartographic Section (1972) · Natural Earth v5.1
- Aksai Chin — Line of Actual ControlAksai Chin — administered by China, claimed by India (Line of Actual Control)Sources: Natural Earth v5.1
- Arunachal Pradesh / South TibetArunachal Pradesh — administered by India, claimed by China as South TibetSources: Natural Earth v5.1
- South China Sea — nine-dash lineNine-dash line — a maritime claim by China (and Taiwan); a 2016 arbitral tribunal found it has no legal basisSources: PCA Arbitral Tribunal (Philippines v. China) (2016) · Natural Earth v5.1
- Taiwan / cross-straitTaiwan — self-governed (authorities in Taipei); claimed by the People's Republic of ChinaSources: Natural Earth v5.1
- CrimeaCrimea — administered by Russia since 2014; internationally recognized as part of UkraineSources: UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 (2014)
- Western SaharaWestern Sahara — a non-self-governing territory; mostly administered by Morocco, claimed by the Sahrawi Republic; status pending a UN referendumSources: UN List of Non-Self-Governing Territories (current)
- Israel & Palestinian territories1949 Armistice 'Green Line'; West Bank and Gaza are Palestinian territories, partly under Israeli control; final status unresolvedSources: UN Security Council & GA resolutions (1949–)
- KosovoKosovo — self-governed and recognized by ~100 states; claimed by SerbiaSources: ICJ Advisory Opinion on Kosovo (2010)
- Nagorno-KarabakhNagorno-Karabakh — internationally recognized as Azerbaijan; brought under Azerbaijani control in 2023Sources: UN Security Council resolutions (1993)