Map 86

Click here for a full-size version of this week’s map.

This map is a dot map of the Balkans and Turkey. (Do you need a refresher on what a dot map is? Visit our “Basics” page for a quick primer.) This map was made by my friend Dallas, who came up with the concept and put it together. Dallas had to make some arbitrary decisions about what places qualified to earn a dot, but in general this map should be fairly complete. As always, your job is to figure out what this dot map represents.

Stumped? Check back Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for hints about where to focus your investigation. The answer will be posted on Monday, April 23, 2018. Good luck!

Since this map was posted one day late, the hints will be shifted later as well (that is, you can earn five points for submitting on Tuesday, four points for submitting on Wednesday, and so on).

Wednesday’s hint: The first step here is to figure out why we’re highlighting these particular countries of the Balkans, plus Turkey. All these countries once had something in common (though they no longer do). What?

Thursday’s hint: Yesterday’s hint alluded to the fact that all of these dots are in territory that was once part of the Ottoman Empire. Moreover, many of the cities with dots were among the most important cultural and commercial centers of that empire. For example, you can find a dot in Edirne, which was the Ottoman capital before Istanbul. Or, well, actually this dot map is a little confusing because there are quite a few dots in Edirne, but you wouldn’t be able to tell that because they’re all so close together. Edirne is sometimes referred to as the “most frequently contested spot on the globe” because of its strategic location on the Tunca River.

Friday’s hint: Here’s something that will delight those of you who are following these hints as a class. If you watch the pre-credit scenes from Skyfall, you’ll see the location of one of these dots. You will definitely want to suggest to your teacher that you take time out of class to do this. Somewhat more academically, another of these dots was the location of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at the beginning of World War I.

Saturday’s hint: Perhaps the most interesting dots on this map are those in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The dot in Višegrad, for example, was made famous by the Yugoslav novelist Ivo Andrić. And the dot in Mostar, which is the capital of the Herzegovina region, is probably the most famous of all the dots on this map. From 1993 through 2004, however, there wouldn’t have been a dot in Mostar.

Answer: Click here to see an explanation of the answer to this week’s map question.

Next map: Click here to try out our newest map question.