Borders of Countries Removed from Yandex.Maps

Borders of countries have been removed from Yandex.Maps as the map is set to focus more on physical geography, emphasizing natural objects. This was reported to RBC by the company's press service on June 9.

“The focus will be on natural objects, rather than state borders,” Yandex's press service stated to RBC. The company added that over time, the map will display more elements related to physical geography than for political maps, including mountain ranges, polar zone lines, reservoirs, and other natural features.

Yandex clarified that their product's goal is to showcase the surrounding world and assist users in finding places of interest, as well as building routes.

In 2014, popular online mapping services like Yandex Maps and Google Maps faced the challenge of displaying the borders of Crimea on their maps. Both companies ultimately decided that the maps for users in Russia would comply with Russian law, which designates Crimea as part of the country.

Crimea is not the only area that is difficult to represent on a political map. Notably, many countries do not recognize the independence of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. The dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh has also recently escalated, as reported by RTVI.

At the same time, some territories have been depicted on political maps as disputed for decades, often bearing two different names. One example is the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), which are actually controlled by Great Britain, but Argentina contests British rights over the archipelago and claims it as its own.