Current editionIndependent · Evidence led · Published in AustraliaA global investigation into place names

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Issue 008 · 30 September 2026 · Global investigation

Who gets to draw the map?

The same water can have two labels on different screens. Follow the government record, the platform decision and ten other naming histories. See which changes were about a name, and which came with separate decisions about land or governance.

Explore the interactive map →

Editorial diagram showing different US and Canadian labels above the same lake

The investigation · One world, different records

Who gets to draw the map?

Move between years, regions and official naming decisions. Every selectable case links to the record behind it.

Read and explore →Editorial diagram · Not a Maps screenshot

When naming becomes a question of access

Who gets through the White House press door?A map label and a press pass both involve choices about what reaches the public. Follow the Gulf naming dispute and a separate case about reporters’ passes. Whose account might be missing? →

Keep your bearings

Check the method and limitsWhat the map shows, what it cannot show, and where its outline came from. →Visit the International deskContinue to other stories that cross borders. →Browse the archiveEvery completed issue stays available. →

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