How the facts are checked
Every fact in Atlas links to where it came from. The dataset is rebuilt from pinned versions of its sources, and each update is reviewed before it is published. This dataset is from 5 November 2026.
How strongly each fact is backed
- Published by the source
- Figures that come straight from an authoritative publisher, such as World Bank population estimates or the United Nations list of member states. 831 of 4,086 facts.
- Wikidata, with its own sources
- Facts from Wikidata where the statement cites a source, which is listed under the fact. 1,028 facts.
- Wikidata, no source cited yet
- Facts from Wikidata where the statement does not cite a source. Most are well known, such as many capitals, but they are marked so you can tell. 2,154 facts.
- Written by this project
- Short explanations of political status and disputes, written from the cited sources. They are marked as drafts until a person has checked them. 73 facts.
Borders and disputed places
The map shows borders as they are controlled on the ground. Areas that are claimed by more than one country are hatched, and selecting one explains who administers it and who claims it. Where the available boundary data is out of date, the area is not drawn and the country page explains why.
Sources
- Natural Earth, Natural Earth (naturalearthdata.com).
- Wikidata, Wikimedia Foundation and Wikidata contributors.
- World Development Indicators, World Bank.
- United Nations, United Nations.
- Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation and Wikipedia contributors.
- Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Foundation and Commons contributors.
- Time zone boundaries, timezone-boundary-builder (Evan Siroky) from OpenStreetMap.
Map imagery
- Satellite: Blue Marble: land surface, ocean colour and sea ice (NASA Visible Earth).
- Night lights: Earth at Night: Black Marble 2016 colour maps (NASA Earth Observatory).
- Physical: Natural Earth I with Shaded Relief and Water, 1:50m (Natural Earth).
Day, night and lines on the map
Day and night are calculated from the position of the Sun (the NOAA solar calculator), and the dates of equinoxes and solstices from Jean Meeus, Astronomical Algorithms. The Tropics and polar circles are drawn at the Earth's current axial tilt. Time zones are shown as nominal 15° bands; real time zones follow borders. The International Date Line is from Natural Earth.
Dataset history
- 5 November 2026: Initial dataset.
17 changes
- Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, entity: none to Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area
- Baikonur, entity: none to Baikonur
- Bajo Nuevo Bank, entity: none to Bajo Nuevo Bank
- Bir Tawil, entity: none to Bir Tawil
- Brazilian Island, entity: none to Brazilian Island
- Clipperton Island, entity: none to Clipperton Island
- Coral Sea Islands, entity: none to Coral Sea Islands
- Dhekelia Cantonment, entity: none to Dhekelia Cantonment
- Germany, capitals: Berlin, Berlin to Berlin
- Gibraltar, entity: none to Gibraltar
- Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, entity: none to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
- Scarborough Shoal, entity: none to Scarborough Shoal
- Serranilla Bank, entity: none to Serranilla Bank
- Southern Patagonian Ice Field, entity: none to Southern Patagonian Ice Field
- Spratly Islands, entity: none to Spratly Islands
- United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus, entity: none to United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
- United States Minor Outlying Islands, entity: none to United States Minor Outlying Islands
Privacy
Atlas has no accounts, adverts or tracking. Your settings stay on this device. Links to Wikipedia and other sources open those websites, which have their own privacy policies.