Jograffie

Like you, I’ve always had a pretty good grip on where to find Greece on the map, and, like you, I was always fairly baffled by what lay north of Greece. The Balkans? The word oozes choatic geography. Now, fear not, I’m content to leave you in happy ignorance. The map of Croatia alone is a circus act.

HOWEVER. While staring at a map of Europe trying to get it all straight (now that I’m drinking their beer), I noticed a little unlabelled rectangle on the Baltic coast just above Poland. Kaliningrad? Is it just me, or is this news? A Russian exclave isolated from the motherland after Poland and Lithuania joined the EU and NATO? The Alaska of Russia! (Well, that’s if the interloping turfs were both an idealogical and political counterpoint. Er, yup, close enough.)

So, Europe, what else have you been keeping from me? Sure, everyone knows about your little clown countries Lichtenstein and Luxembourg. Sure, Popeville (the trick-question enclave). Monaco? Malta? Gibraltar? If only there was a map to your secrets….

(Next up: figure out where all the Somethingstans are.)