Arif wrote:

> American and Western European maps
> have clouded Mike and almost everybody else's mind on
> the subject that what maps draw are imaginary lines
> and not statements of facts. These lines can be
> imagined by different countries according to their own
> thought. I have seen enclaves appear and disappear
> from Bangladeshi maps two or three times knowing full
> well that they did exist. Just because it didn't show
> up on a map does not mean it didn't exist. I wouldn't
> be surprised if such uncertain boundary mapping was
> the norm instead of the exception outside the Western
> countries.

All to often, maps are nothing more than propaganda. One must consider the
source.

I remember entering the Peruvian pavilion at the 1984 New Orleans world's fair
to be greeted by a wall-sized map depicting the Peruvian version of the
Ecuador-Peru boundary. (The other two memorable items in the Amazonia-themed
pavilion were a Shuar shrunked human head on a stick and a large aquarium
containing only an official order from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries emphatically prohibiting Peru from displaying pirhanas at the fair!)

One infamous propaganda piece was a jigsaw puzzle map of Central American
nations that was included as a promotion in boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes sold
in that part of the world. Because Kellogg de Centro America is located in
Guatemala, the map showed Belize as one of the departments of Guatemala. When
the boxes hit the store shelves in Belize, all hell broke loose!

Lowell G. McManus
Leesville, Louisiana, USA