The Invisible Lines That Divide the World

The science

A border is one of the most powerful things humans have ever invented, and one of the most abstract – an imaginary line agreed between states. This map draws the world's terrestrial borders as recognized by the United Nations, together with maritime boundaries, which come either from treaties between coastal states or from the calculated median line – the point equidistant from two shores.

Some maritime boundaries remain unsettled. Where countries have reached friendly agreements – such as parts of the lower Arctic around Iceland, Norway and the UK – we show them; genuinely disputed borders, we leave out.

How we turned it into a print

By drawing only the borders – no land fill, no labels – the world becomes a delicate lattice of lines, including the invisible maritime boundaries that carve up the oceans far beyond the coasts. It is a quietly political map, and a reminder of how much of the planet's surface humans have formally divided.

The print

From our Minimal collection, The World as Political Borders is printed on premium paper in 70x50 cm and 100x70 cm. Data source: Flanders Marine Institute (marineregions.org).