When the world's at stake,
go beyond the headlines.

Welcome to Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible.Whether confidently bridging East and West or being mercilessly torn between the two, Turkey has long maintained a complex relationship with geographic clichés. At particularly acrobatic moments, Ankara manages to straddle the continental divide, turning its back on Europe while still keeping a foot firmly planted there. Indeed, diplomats and journalists have been using this language for so long that even by the 1950s making fun of it had become a cliché. But with the future of Turkish foreign policy back in the news amidst a closely contested presidential election, the question of how Turkish leaders understand their country’s place in the world is, as ever, an important one.Honestly, this is the kind of subject that people with too much time on their hands have probably written books about, but for now let’s just look at a map. The one below, titled “The World and Turkey,” is from a poster designed for schoolchildren in 1935. Turkey stands out in pink, wedged proudly between Europe, Africa, and Asia. A grey wolf, symbolizing the Turkish nation, bounds across the top of the globe. The caption reads “Because Turkey’s territory is in the middle of three continents, Turks must work harder than any other nation … Turkish youth! Look on life and the world from above and do your duty.”Selection from Genclerin Haritasi, or a Map for Youth, Printed by Cemal Azmi Matbaasi, Istanbul, 1935. Ataturk Library, Harita No 000150.The nice thing about maps made for kids is that, in addition to the bright and simple