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OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ

9/ In many places there are disagreements about which side of the river/water the border is on.

For example between Germany πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ and the Netherlands πŸ‡³πŸ‡± at the mouth of the Ems river

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsch-

#geoweirdness

Map showing the different claims of Germany and the Netherlands at the mouth of the Ems river
Map showing the mouth of the Ems river on OpenStreetMap
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OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ

10/ Sometimes disputes arise because the old methods of surveying the border weren’t very accurate. This can lead to surprises when the border is re-surveyed using more modern technologies, like this example between US πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ states North and South Carolina.

cbsnews.com/news/border-redraw

#geoweirdness

Article about the North / South Carolina border shifting
OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ

11/ There are even bizarre situations where two bordering countries claim to both NOT own territory.

See for example the case of "Liberland" on the Danube which is claimed by neither Croatia πŸ‡­πŸ‡· nor Serbia πŸ‡·πŸ‡Έ

We covered it in our #geoweirdness thread about Croatia:
en.osm.town/@opencage/10965290

Screenshot of our post about Liberland in our #geoweirdness thread about Croatia
OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ replied to OpenCage

12/ So with all this disagreement, how does our geocoding API handle disputes? Who is β€œright”?

We use the main OpenStreetMap database which follows the principal of "most widely internationally recognised and best meets realities on the ground". Here's the OpenStreetMap Foundation's official policy doc: wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/Fi

#geoweirdness

Screenshot from the OSMF policy doc about disputed territories
Screenshot from the OSMF policy doc about disputed territories
OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ replied to OpenCage

13/ The great thing about #OpenStreetMap: OSM is a database, not a map. If you disagree with the OSMF's view you are free to take a copy, and use it to make maps showing the world the way you think it should be - whatever your view.

Several local OSM communities do this.

#geoweirdness

screenshot of the OpenStreetMap Morocco page
OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ replied to OpenCage

14/ Borders are a passionate topic, there aren't always simple answers.

Want more disputed borders? As always, wikipedia is the place for comprehensive list:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_

#geoweirdness

Map showing the border dispute between France and Italy at the summit of Mont Blanc / Monte Bianco
OpenCage πŸ‘‰πŸŒ replied to OpenCage

15/ The list of disputes is long and complicated - this thread could go on and on, but we'll wrap up this week's #geoweirdness thread there.

Thanks for reading and boosting.

We have more threads about specific countries, geocoding, etc on our blog.

Enjoy: blog.opencagedata.com/geothrea

Screenshot from the OpenCage geothreads page
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