Brilliant Maps

Making Sense Of The World, One Map At A Time

  • BOOK!
  • Newsletter
  • Board Games
  • Posters
  • Scratch Maps

French Mandate for Syria and The Lebanon In 1922

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 2 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, 1922

Map created by Don-kun via wikimedia

The map above shows the initial 6 states created by the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon granted by the League of Nations in 1922.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History, Middle East Tagged With: Syria

CENTO: One of The Cold War’s Weirdest & Least Successful Alliances

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 Leave a Comment

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

CENTO: One of The Cold War's Weirdest & Least Successful Alliances

Map of the Central Treaty Organization’s (CENTO) member states

The Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), also known as the Baghdad Pact or the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), was one of Cold War’s weirdest and ultimately least successful alliances. This was largely the result of the improbable quintet of nations making up the Organization: Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Yet an alliance made up of these unlikely allies is not the only interesting thing to note about CENTO.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History, Middle East

An Incredibly Detailed Map of the Roman Empire At Its Height in 211AD

Last Updated: September 24, 2024 29 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

An Incredibly Detailed Map of the Roman Empire in 211 CE

Map created by Sardis Verlag
The map above is one of the most detailed and interesting maps of the Roman Empire you’ll likely find online. It shows what the Empire looked like in 211 CE (aka 211 AD) at the end of the reign of Septimius Severus.

There lots of really cool things to point out about the map itself. For example:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: roman empire

Where Germans Voted For The Nazis in 1933

Last Updated: May 18, 2026 6 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

1933 German Elections results in which the Nazis got the most votes

Map created by Korny78 via Wikimedia

One important fact to remember about that the Nazis is that they were originally democratically elected into office. The map above shows where National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi) support was the highest in the election of March 3rd, 1933.

It would turn out to be the last somewhat “free,” multi-party German election held across all of Germany until December 2nd, 1990, after German reunification.

However, it’s also important to note that while the Nazis won the most seats in 1933, they did not win a majority of them or the popular vote. Here is another map showing this in another way:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Germany, History Tagged With: election

1853 Japanese Map Of The World By Suido Nakajima

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 4 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

1853 Japanese Map Of The World By Suido Nakajima

Map created by Suido Nakajima found via reddit.

The map above is interesting not because it looks beautiful, which it does, but because of where and when it was published.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History, World Maps

Roman Empire GDP Per Capita Map Shows That Romans Were Poorer Than Any Country Today

Last Updated: October 17, 2024 14 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

Per capita GDP in Roman times according to maddison 1990 ppp dollars

Map by the NEP-HIS Blog, found via Reddit.
What a difference 2,000 years makes. The map above shows the GDP per capita in 14AD of the various provinces of the Roman Empire in 1990 PPP Dollars. On average, the GDP per capita across the whole Empire, was only $570.

This would make the average Roman in 14AD poorer than the average citizen of every single one of the world’s countries in 2015.

Wondering how that’s possible? Then keep reading to find out.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: roman empire

Colonial Africa On The Eve of World War I

Last Updated: March 3, 2023 10 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

Africa in 1914

Map created by reddit user whiplashoo21

The map above shows how the African continent was divided in 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I. By this time, European powers controlled 90% of the continent with only Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Liberia retaining independence.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Africa, History Tagged With: colonialism, war

What If the Mongol Empire Reunited….?

Last Updated: May 12, 2025 11 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

Mongol Empire Reunited

Map created by reddit user Trapper777_

The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land based empire in history. So what would a modern Mongol state look like today if it hadn’t disappeared?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Fictional, History Tagged With: Mongol

Countries That Were Raided Or Settled By The Vikings Based On Modern Borders

Last Updated: January 28, 2025 23 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:

Countries raided by vikings

Map by reddit user grankogle

While we tend to think of the Vikings as being based in and around Scandinavia, their activities took them a lot far further afield than that. The map above shows just how far.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: vikings

What If Nazi Germany Won World War II? Fictional & Historical Scenarios

Last Updated: September 9, 2025 219 Comments

Click To Get My 10 Best Brilliant Maps For Free:


Europe under Nazi domination

How close Nazi Germany came to dominating Europe. Map by Morgan Hauser via Wikimedia
What if Hitler and the Nazis had won World War II? This is perhaps the greatest historical ‘what if’ of all time. The map above shows just how close they came.

This has led both novelists and historians to speculate about might have happened if Germany had won the war and how they might have done so. Below we’ll look at a few fictional scenarios (with maps) where they do win and what that means for the rest of the world. This will be followed by some historical speculation about whether or not Germany really could have won.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: History Tagged With: books, fiction, war

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • Next Page »


Product Reviews · World Atlas · Settlers of Catan · Risk · Game of Thrones · Coloring Books
Globes · Monopoly · Star Wars · Game of Life · Pandemic · Ticket To Ride · Drinks Cabinets
US Locations · UK Locations· Fleet Management
Copyright © 2026 · Privacy Policy · Fair Use, Attribution & Copyright · Contact Us
Follow Us: Newsletter · Facebook · Youtube · Twitter · Threads · BlueSky · LinkedIn · Instagram · Pinterest · Flipboard