A Guide to Figuring out the Age of an Undated World Map

(via @infobeautiful@vis.social and xkcd)

The image is an XKCD comic titled “Guide to Figuring Out the Age of an Undated World Map.” It is a flowchart that helps determine the date of a world map based on geopolitical entities and historical changes. The chart starts with questions like whether Istanbul is labeled as “Constantinople” and whether the Holy Roman Empire exists, and branches into various historical and geopolitical clues. These include the presence of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, German reunification, South Sudan, and references to fantasy maps (like Mordor and Numenor). The comic also includes humorous options, such as whether the map is trying to bite you or whether it is larger than a breadbox. The final nodes lead to conclusions about the map’s nature or its date range, often with humorous or absurd results.
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