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.***With Christmas only weeks away, there’s no better time to order some irredentist keychains. Still searching for the perfect gift for that friend who doesn’t think Albania is big enough? Here’s a Greater Albania keychain for under $25. Worried that everyone on your list already has all the Syria keychains they need? Now you can get them one that also includes the Turkish province of Hatay. And with so many people rushing to stake out inflammatory positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, why not give them a tangible way to reject Israel or Palestine’s right to exist? Better yet, get them this elegantly ambiguous silver outline map, so they can leave everyone guessing whose maximalist claims they support.But of course, this year’s hottest item is Greater Venezuela, complete with the territory of Guayana Esequiba. You can get it in Venezuela flag colors or inexplicably adorned with dancing children.Venezuela Keychain, Undated.Just last week, Venezuela officially doubled down on its claim to the better part of Guyana, after a referendum in which only Venezuelans could vote. For his followers on Facebook, President Nicolas Maduro quickly posted a new map, showing the annexation as if it was already complete. I’ve subsequently heard friends and podcast guests recount their experiences drawing similarly ambitious maps as children in Venezuela. Sadly, none of them still had a copy, so for the moment, we’re left with Maduro’s version:New Map of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, posted on Facebook by Nicolas Maduro on December 5 at 8:48.By now, you’re probably asking what