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June 1, 2016

#1688: Map Age Guide explain

Map Age Guide

[A very complicated flow chart, which can only be read in detail using the larger image now shown at the top of this page. This transcript uses the large version, which is more legible.]

[At the top of the chart there is a large caption, with a smaller caption below:]

Guide to figuring out the age of an undated world map

(Assuming it’s complete, labeled in English, and detailed enough)

[Below the starting bracket in the small caption is a start box. It has rounded corners and it is gray with white text. From this box there is a gray line to a box consisting of a black frame with rounded corners. In these kind of boxes there are questions regarding the map in black text. Below this box there are three gray boxes like the start box, superimposed over the bottom frame. In these boxes are the possible answers to the question in the frame above. From each of these options there is a gray line going to similar black framed boxes with other questions either below, or to either side. There can either be two, three or four gray boxes, two the most common. Only at the very bottom of the central branch where it turns out it was a home made map, are there two frames with only one gray question box each. This trend continues over this entire large image. When reaching the end of a branch in the flow chart, there is no line away from one, more or all of the gray boxes for a black frame. When this happens a year range or a guess at what the map shows, or what it is (if it turns out to not be a map) is written below the gray box in gray text. Of the text in the gray boxes are Yes/No, but not always. There are 74 boxes with black frames with 158 gray boxes and 78 endpoints with text below the gray box and one end point without text below (the one with the home made map).]

Start

Istanbul or Constantinople?

Constantinople

Do any of these exist?

*Independent Canada

*US Territory of Alaska

*Tokyo

No

The Holy Roman Empire?

Yes

1805 or earlier (before this point, the modern idea of a complete political map of the world gets hard to apply.)

No

The United States?

No

How sure are you that this map is in English?

Yes

Texas is…

Part of Mexico

Florida is part of…

Spain

Paraguay?

No 1806–10

Yes 1811–17

The US

Venezuela and/or Ecuador?

No 1818–29

Yes 1830–33

Independent 1834–45

Part of the US

Does Russia border the Sea of Japan?

No

The US’s southern border looks…

Weird 1846–53

Normal 1854–56

Yes 1858–67

Yes

South Africa?

No

Rhodesia?

No

Is Bolivia landlocked?

No

“Buda” and “Pest” or “Budapest”?

Buda and Pest 1868–72

Budapest 1873–83

Yes 1884–95

Yes

Is Norway part of Sweden?

Yes 1896–1905

No 1906–09

Yes

Austria-Hungary?

Yes

Albania?

No 1910–12

Yes 1913–18

No

Leningrad?

No 1919–23

Yes 1924–29

Neither

Does the Ottoman Empire exist?

Yes [[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]

No

The Soviet Union?

Yes

Saudi Arabia?

Yes

Is most of West Africa a giant french blob?

Yes

Pakistan?

No

How many Germanys are there?

One

Persia or Iran?

Persia 1930–34

Iran 1935–40

One, but it’s huge 1941–45

Two 1946–47

Yes

Cambodia?

No

Eritrea is part of…

Italy

Canada is…

Missing a piece 1948

Fine

The town on I-25 between Albuquerque and El Paso is…

Hot Springs 1948-49

Truth or Consequences 1950–52

Ethiopia 1952–53

Yes

The United Arab Republic?

No 1954–57

Yes 1958–60

No

How many Vietnams are there?

Two

Bangladesh?

No

Is the area south of Lake Victoria…

British 1960

Tanganyika 1961–64

Tanzania 1965–71

Yes 1972–75

One

Jimmy Carter is…

Being attacked by a giant swimming rabbit April 20, 1979

Fine

The Sinai is part of what country?

Israel 1976–79

Mostly Israel 1980

Mostly Egypt 1981

Egypt

What’s the capital of Micronesia?

Kolonia

Republic of the Upper Volta or Burkina Faso?

Upper Volta 1982–84

Burkina Faso 1985–88

Palikir

(number of Yemens) + (number of Germanys) = ?

Four 1989-early 1990

Three mid-1990

Two late 1990–1991

No 1922–1932

No

North Korea?

Yes

Zaire? or: “Hong Kong (UK)"

Yes 1992–96

No

Serbia/Montenegro are…

One country

East Timor?

No 1997–2001

Yes 2002–06

Two countries

How many Sudans are there?

One 2007–11

Two

Is Crimea disputed?

Yes

“Colorado” or “Danger—Radioactive Exclusion Zone—Avoid”?

Colorado 2014–21

Danger

Does the warning mention the spiders?

No 2022

Yes 2023 or later

No 2012–13

No

Saint Trimble’s Island

No

Is Jan Mayen part of the Kingdom of Norway?

Not yet

[[#canada-alaska-tokyo]]

What?

Can you see the familiar continents?

Yes

This sounds like a physical map or satellite photo.

Yes, that’s it

Is Lake Chad missing?

No

How far east do the American Prairies reach?

Indiana before 1830

The Mississippi 1830s-80s

Nebraska

Is there a big lake in the middle of Southern California? (created by mistake)

No 1860s-1900s

Yes 1910s

What prairies?

Is there a big lake in the middle of Ghana? (created on purpose)

No 1920s-50s

Yes 1960s-70s

Yes

Is the Aral Sea missing?

No 1970s-90s

Yes 2000s+

No

Rivers “Sirion” or “Anduin”?

Yes

Mordor?

No

Beleriand?

Yes First Age

No Early Second Age

Yes

Númenor?

Yes Late Second Age

No

The forest east of the Misty Mountains is…

Greenwood Early Third Age

Mirkwood Late Third Age

The Wood of Greenleaves Fourth Age

No

Cair Paravel?

Yes

Calormen?

No

Lotta Islands?

No

Beruna

Ford The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Bridge Prince Caspian

Yes Dawn Treader

Yes

Weird recursive heaven?

No One of the random later books

Yes The Last Battle

No

Mossflower?

Yes

Redwall

No

Is the world on the back of a turtle?

Yes Discworld

No

Are you sure this is a map?

Yes

Did you make it yourself?

Yes

It’s very nice.

Thank you!

No

Is it trying to bite you?

No

Is it larger than a breadbox?

Yes tuba

No stapler

About the same breadbox

Yes

If you let it go, what does it do?

Hisses and runs away cat

Screeches and flaps around the room breaking things seagull

Yes

[[#pakistan]]

Yes No, I made that one up.

Istanbul

Does the Soviet Union exist?

Yes

[[#west-africa-french-blob]]

No

[[#zaire]]