An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States

by Nick Middleton

Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton takes us on a magical tour of countries that, lacking diplomatic recognition or UN membership, inhabit a world of shifting borders, visionary leaders and forgotten peoples.

Most of us think we know what a country is, but in truth the concept is rather slippery. From Catalonia to the Crimea, and from Africa's last colony to the European republic that enjoyed just a solitary day of independence, the places in this book may lie on the margins of legitimacy, but all can be visited in the real world.

Beautifully illustrated by fifty regional maps, each shadowy country is literally cut out of the page of this book. Alongside stories, facts and figures, this Atlas brings to life a dreamlike world of nations that exist only in the minds of the people who live there.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Geography, Travel, Maps, Politics, Reference

230 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Nick Middleton is a British physical geographer and supernumerary fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford. He specialises in desertification.

Nick Middleton was born in London, England. As a geographer, he has travelled to more than 50 countries. Going to Extremes is a television programme for Channel 4 about extreme lifestyles, in which Middleton experiences life in the hostile conditions other cultures must endure. He has appeared on BBC 2's Through the Keyhole.

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book just highlights 50 places (countries, nations, regions) that was at a time or wants to be an independent/sovereign nation. The author gives good descriptions of how a country/nation is defined and how these 50 met the different criteria's. While most of these are well known, there were a few ones in here that I did not know about, and they are some of the more obscure ones. They also range from massive regions with millions of people, to small pieces of land that was declared as a micro-nation by an individual.

Each of the 50 has a brief chapter with its flag, an outline of its borders and where it is situated, and then just three or four paragraphs of a brief history that tries to be written in a very light-hearted way, which is not quite enough. As I have loved geography and maps from my school days, this book appealed to me, but I am left a little disappointed by the end result of this book. Luckily a quick read with so little writing in the pages.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating little collection of places and concepts, An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist is a great read. Each "country" is presented with a map location, and the usual details such as population, and then gets a blurb - sometimes a collection of dates, sometimes a small story (more than one of which was honestly a little haunting). Some of them, like Taiwan, I was already quite familiar with. Others were completely new to me. Pretty much all of the "countries" existed at some point during the modern age, with several still standing, and explanations of those that dissolved.

There are two (maybe one and a half?) places where Middleton falls short. The first is that it truly is just an atlas - if you're looking for in-depth information, be ready to track down further information sources. The second (kind of) is the lack of images. Of course this is arguable, and the maps were quite lovely, but for those places with which the reader isn't familiar, a photograph, drawing, or any kind of visual reference would have been wonderful.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short little book about 50 “countries” that have either, in the past or are currently seeking, some kind of autonomy. From huge regions like Catalonia to tiny islands inhabited and claimed by one person, this is a sometimes fascinating, sometimes sad, and sometimes hilarious book.
My only criticism (and it’s one that’s understandable considering the scope of the book) is that the brief one or two page overviews of each country left me wanting to know so much more. Perhaps 25 countries instead of 50 so we can learn a little more background? It really is a minor quibble though. The neat maps and short data on each place more than make up for the short biographies.
So pull up a chair, make yourself a cup of tea, and think about what your country’s flag would look like as you lose yourself in this book.

[Biblio Curious]

I close the book and ask myself, what exactly is a map? This book pushes those boundaries of expectations.

How on Earth would I review this?

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippets of geographical information on (obviously) countries that no longer exist. Quick read. I expected the book to be a bit more in-depth.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one sounds more interesting than it actually is. Each region gets a full page map and approximately half of a page of text, so readers learn less than they would have if they had just consulted Wikipedia.

As it styles itself an atlas one would think it would have good maps, but that is not the case: they do not show recognized national borders within the regions discussed, making it difficult to know what country is claiming them (the text rarely makes this clear, either); the scales are hidden so deep in the gutter that I didn't even notice they were there until halfway through the book; and all of the maps were rendered in an unattractive combination of blue-grey and red.

In short, it's definitely not worth the $30 cover price.

Received via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

[RoseB612 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tohle je jedním slovem (tedy spíš dvěma) krásná kniha. To je její největší plus, nápad s vyřezanými stránkami je skvělý a také celková výprava knihy je opravdu povedená, takže je skutečně radost jí listovat. Byť tedy v mém kuse má jedna část ne úplně korektně sesazené listy, takže výřezy a spodní mapy u Severní Ameriky úplně přesně nelícují, což sice zamrzí, u tohoto typu knihy a tohoto nakladatele bych to nečekala, ale žít s tím opravdu dokážu :-)

Samotný nápad je tak trošku na hraně bulváru, rozsah jednotlivých textů je minimální, takže jsou to spíš takové anotace do turistického průvodce než historiografické údaje, ale čte se to dobře a spíš to u člověka vyvolá potřebu si o některých "státech" dohledat informace na Wiki. Některé z padesáti zmíněných "států" jsou všeobecně známé - Katalánsko, Abcházie, Podněstří, Tibet, Tchajwan atd., o některých jsem četla v této knize poprvé a třeba taková Redonda mě opravdu potěšila (objevuje se opakovaně v knihách od Javier Marías).

Kniha v originále vyšla v roce 2015, takže Jedličkův Liberland tam nenajdete, ale k bývalému Československu tu má vztah alespoň Karpatská Ukrajina. Na druhou stranu Krym už se tam autorovi časově vešel.

Tuhle knihu má smysl si koupit a občas si v ní zalistovat - pro ten pocit "krásné knihy" a třeba ji použít jako nakopnutí k vlastnímu zjišťování faktů či k nějaké dovolenkové dobrodružné výpravě, já bych hlasovala třeba pro Seborgu.

Kontext: "Vystřižené" stránky fascinují našeho tříletého syna - jako zábava mu to vystačilo na docela dlouho dobu.

První věta: "Belgický král Leopold II. se proslavil mimo jiné díky své chuti k jídlu."

Poslední věta: "A totéž platí [že prostor zabral Elgaland-Vargaland] pro obyčejné snění či hluboké zamyšlení, takže se dá říci, že nové království denně navštíví prakticky každý z nás."

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States by Nick Middleton is a beautiful book. A lot of attention to detail and care has been put into the design of this amazing book, from the color scheme of subtle gray-blue and cherry red, to the way each location is set in a map, with the previous page having a cut-out so that the reader first encounters the country, and then its place on the globe. This isn't the kind of book designed to help children with their geography homework, or to be an information-filled guidebook, instead, each entry is features a flag and some basic information, with a few paragraphs telling the story of each state, with the intention of arousing curiosity and interest, rather than providing a lot of details. These stories are often poignant or weird, but always interesting.

I loved Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands, and this book falls into the same wheelhouse, being more about the idea of these places than anything else. The places featured range from the well-known and expected (Greenland, Catalonia) to the off-beat and obscure (Transnistria and Somaliland) to the downright odd (Elgaland-Vargaland, Atlantium), but all are fascinating.

[Pauline Agius Farrugia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise behind this book captured my attention immediately, and I wholeheartedly looked forward to reading through it. Unfortunately it had unexpected shortcomings.

The layout of the book was great, starting with an intro page to each country with basic facts like size, population, capital city and capital city. Each country also had a map to show its outline and geographical location. Each "nation" had a one page of detail on it.

So far so good. The author tried to make it more 'interesting' by adding anecdotal descriptions. This is what ultimately let the book down somewhat. This style worked on some of the countries but ended up leaving the majority with hardly any detail on how the nation actually came about, how it functioned and its current status; which was what made me curious to read it in the first place.

[Ochwey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geografův must-have. Ideální vyvážení, zemí, které neexistují a jsou známé a těch, o kterých se moc neví. Líbí se mi ty neencyklopedické popisky, které jsou spíše vyprávěním, zajímavostmi, a ponoukají k dalšímu dohledávání informací.
Nádherné zpracování po grafické stránce, děravé stránky s průhledem na oblast, paráda. Bodíček dolů za (velkou!) kartografickou chybu (pod hranicemi neexistujících států už nejsou hranice uznaných zemí, chybí to, když pak není jasné, jeslti jde o společnou hranici, nebo přesahuje dva státy!). Tohle by si kartograf měl umět pohlídat, i když tady je to zpracování spíš umělecké a mapy jsou spíš obrázky.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky whimsical read. My cup of tea.

[Einar Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read what could be the ultimate book for map nerds: An Atlas of Countries that Don’t Exist by Nick Middleton. I expected a list of nations from novels and movies, but I found Murrawarri, Bangsamoro, Balochistan, Rapa Nui, Lubicon, and 45 other territories on Earth that a majority of nations ignore or choose not to recognize because of politics, ego, religion, and other excuses. For each place Middleton provides a brief empathetic history, a map (of course), its flag (many of which are beautiful), and the date(s) of declared independence. I love his vignettes of history and all the connections between humans and their ecosystems. It’s a clever topic presented beautifully. Map nerds, unite and check out this fun book.

[Els · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another completely obvious favourite.

[D.K. Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick Middleton loves coming up with odd book titles - 'Kalashnikovs and Zombie Cucumbers' being just one example - but with this latest book from the Oxford geography don the subject turns out to be even stranger than the title.

Although not included in the book (which the author says he could have filled many times over) it turns out England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all qualify as 'non-countries' depending on what definition of 'country' you use. And therein lies the problem - the definitions for 'country', 'nation' and 'state' are so vague as to be more or less non-existent.

For UK countries, their existence and right to be considered countries has a historical precedent and is well recognised around the world. For many of the countries listed in the atlas this is not the case. Some, like Somaliland are fighting for recognition which they desperately need as few countries recognise them making travel for citizens very difficult indeed. Others, like the Isle of Man are just curiosities; quirks of history. Then some are just odd: Elgaland-Vargaland is too strange to do justice to here and you'll have to read about it for yourself.

The book itself is both beautiful and easy to read. The hardback edition is cleverly designed so you get to see each 'non-country' itself before finding out what surrounds it. At times, the effect is staggering as you find great swathes of continents are covered by the lands belonging to these would-be nations. The author gives just one page to describing each place and succeeds in giving both interesting anecdotes and a potted history which avoids boring academia.

If there is a criticism it is that the information could have been more and the maps could have given a little more detail. It might have been nice to have an overview map putting all these countries together too. But these criticisms have been well covered in other reviews. They are valid but they don't do justice to what was attempted here. This 'atlas' is a taster of an issue which is not heard about in the media yet is really very important. Millions of people are genuinely seriously affected by the problems raised in the book. As such, Nick Middleton's work is really rather vital for raising awareness.

The book makes an excellent Christmas or birthday gift for anyone interested in the quirky or has a budding interest in political geography. It really is a beautiful work and my copy will sit proudly on the bookshelf. I have no doubt that I will dip into it often.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book can either be described as an amusing trifle, overproduced, fussy and with limited information; or work of an offensive vacuity which doesn't understand the difference between amusing anecdote and gut wrenching tragedy and by its indiscriminate mixture of the two has produced of shocking tastelessness.

I would go with the later description - to collect the eccentricities of the Isle of Man's feudal links to the British crown but not the state or the hippy inanities of Christiania in Copenhagen with the tragedies of Circassia or Sahrawi (aka Western Sahara) is at best thoughtlessly grotesque but in my view is obscene as the main purpose of the book is provide a catalogue of places with funny names and delusions of statehood. Sealand is a piece of monomaniacal idiocy, Ruthenia was a foolhardy and desperate attempt by a forgotten people and territory to try, by using the talismanic rituals and symbols of independence, to create a reality which would forestall their absorption into the 'Night and Fog' of either the Nazis or Soviets.

Because of this I hate this book, it offends me, if it contained any really interesting or useful information I would show some forgiveness, but it doesn't. It is a collection of fancy binding around a mediocre text and provides less information or insight than a poor Wikipedia entry.

[Qais · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist by Nick Middleton is a whimsical non-fiction book that makes you laugh in some of the pure silliness that this book covers.

This short novel is about 50 'countries' that have either, in the past or are currently seeking, in some sort of autonomy. It ranges from 'countries' like Catalonia which has millions of people thriving to tiny islands inhabited and claimed by one lonely person.

This book fascinated me on the 'countries' that this book covered and their history. The history of these 'countries' were often depressing as they depicted many losses and defeats. My only complaint is that each 'country' only gets a brief one or two pages overview, which left me wanting to know so much more. I think 25 'countries' instead of 50 would be better as we would learn more background about each country.

I would recommend this book to people who want to know more about the world and people who don't read many non-fiction books. This novel could act as a gateway for you to read even more non-fiction books. It's one of those books where all you have to read is the first page and you will already be lost in the book.

[Diego González · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bajo el paraguas de "lugares que no existen", Middleton incluye naciones independientes de facto pero no reconocidas (Somalilandia, Transnistria, Chipre del Norte), con reconocimiento limitado (Abjasia, Taiwán) o regiones con fuertes tensiones soberanistas, caso de Cataluña o Papúa Occidental. También caben un buen puñado de micronaciones y bromas de todo tipo, experimentos políticos efímeros o regiones en disputa (como Crimea). Es un bonito libro como puerta de entrada a la geografía bizarra, en una edición realmente preciosa y cuidada, dos adjetivos que aplicados a un libro suelen significar al menos ocho euros de sobrecoste.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Od globálne zmánych teritórií snažiacich sa o osamostatnenie, cez virtuálné územia až po samozvané kráľovstvá o jednom obyvateľovi.
Tragické, bizarné, či komické príbehy zemí, podávané milo (ba až detsky) cez osudy jednotlivcov.
Jedna z najkrajších kníh, aké som kedy videl a po Altase odľahlých ostrovov, ďalší skvelý "kartografický" počin z nakladateľstva 65.pole.

[Tracy Hollen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but not great.
I wish I knew more about these places. The short info was more anecdotal than historical in my opinion. I suppose this is a starting point for further exploration if you're intrigued by a certain non-nation.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky book that makes you think how nations evolve and die and what borders mean. Does a nation even need to have land to exist ? or even a military ? How far can treaties be enforced ? What does it mean to be a nation or a state or country ? are they interchangeable or do they mean different things ?

The book covers a variety of countries that no longer exist and does a quite a good job of covering motivations for existence of countries in the modern era and their cultural and political significance. It also gives a glimpse in how colonialism and wars have shaped the world in the last 200 years or more. A really good quick read. More like 3.5 stars.

[Jakub Radan Dvořák · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skvělé grafické zpracování příběhů vybraných neuznaných států. Autor přiznává, že výběr ani zdaleka není vyčerpávající a že záměrně neuváděl ne-státy s podobnými příběhy (takže kniha například obsahuje Katalánsko a ne Baskicko), což mi přijde jako škoda (byť chápu, že v tomto tématu nejde pojmout vše). Knížka byla navíc zajímavou úvahou nad tím, co vlastně stát je a co představují hranice mezi nimi. Líbilo se mi, že často byla historie jednotlivých zemí přiblížená příběhem konkrétního člověka, jehož život vyhlášení či zánik samostatnosti výrazně ovlivnil. Musím ale vytknout místy dost zjednodušující přístup, který hraničil s jednostrannými narativy nebo koloniálním sentimentem.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable Christmas present. You won't get a ton of information about each country. This is more a series of educational vignettes, with some more effective than others. For example, the segment on Tibet focuses almost entirely on the Dalai Lama's escape. Others, like the Lakotah section, convey a ton of information just a few paragraphs. I appreciate this book overall for showing how porous human settlement really is, and how much of the seemingly official world map has been authored by imperialist and ambition and destructive hyper-capitalism.

Also this book is so handsomely made. I loved the cutouts for each country.

[Peter Baran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting conceit, picking a bunch of disputed, whimsical and some cases pretty tragic countries that are not currently recognised by the UN and giving a paper thin, coffee table account of them. Extremely well designed, with cut-outs and nice to pour over in a piecemeal fashion, I wonder if any of the dispossessed people covered in the book would feel so charitable about their struggle being summarised in four paragraphs (not so fussed about the bloke who lives on an old gun encampment).

[Samo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Túto knihu cením hlavne preto, prečo ju všetci hania - príbeh každej krajiny-nekrajiny je útly, ledva na jednu stranu. Vďaka tomu je možné si v nej len tak listovať, preskakovať z kontinentu na kontinent a dozvedieť sa niečo, aj keď má človek len pár minút času. Doštudovať si viac informácií a vidieť nejaké obrázky sa dá vždy na wikipédii.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and interesting read. I did wish that some of the countries with more interesting stories had received more space, but, alas, it is what it is. Occasionally the author’s political biases were a little eye rolling, but overall a very fascinating read full of things I never knew I didn’t know.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting topic, but unfortunately it is very dry reading.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of An Atlas of Countries That Don’t Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States

An Atlas of Countries That Don’t Exist, by Nick Middleton, is about fifty countries and territories that are, per the title of the book, largely unrecognized and unnoticed by the world. Some you may have heard of, like Greenland or Tibet, but others are completely unknown by the majority of people, such as Elgaland-Vargaland (which nearly everyone in the world has visited at some point), the United Micronations Multi-Oceanic Archipelago (UMMOA), or Forvik, which has a population of one. This informative book describes in detail each of the fifty countries that do not exist.
In my opinion, this book is an extremely informational guide with in-depth descriptions of the strange world of unknown countries. This book isn’t necessarily an atlas in the traditional sense because it includes descriptions and histories of the countries. However, this does not detract from its appeal. In fact, it makes the book much more interesting. Take the story of Tevik Esenç, for example. In the entry about Circassia, a territory conquered by Russia in the 19th century, the author tells Esenç’s story. He was the last native speaker of Ubykh, a language that died along with Ubykh culture when Esenç died in 1992. The author, Nick Middleton, states that “The death of an elderly man in Turkey was also the death of a people.” He ends many of the entries in an ominous way, making the book much more dramatic and interesting. Overall, this book is very enjoyable and my opinion of it is very high.
This book mixes your emotions up a lot. At some times, you may feel sad for the residents in a territory fighting for its independence. At other times, you may be curious or puzzled and want to learn more about the country. I would definitely recommend this book to geography buffs, because of its many random factoids, or people interested in world affairs, due to the fact that many of the countries that don't exist are in the midst of civil war. In conclusion, this book was great and I would like to find more like it.

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like it but not much more than that.

I had hoped for a whimsical book that would present me with a number of historical anomalies and personal quirks along the line lines of actual examples of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick. The Duchy was the invention of Leonard Wibberleyh in his Mouse That Roared and the rest of the ‘The Mouse that” books.

Instead we have some cases of whimsy such as Sealand, an abandoned man-made gun platform off the coast of England turned into a pirate radio station and home to a family who may or may not still occupy the property. Too often we have stories of blood such as Northern Cypress, political machinations, Ruthenia and just sad stories, Sahrawi. For any atlas to provide entertainment over the realities of human made misfortunes and double dealing may be more than anyone could provide, but the packaging and the selling tend to suggest a light hearted product.

The layout is handsome but wasteful. Most of the countries require more content. Each country is allowed 4 pages. The full page map is appropriate, but barely ½ page of explanation/history often tells the reader too little. Realizing that many of listed countries have surrender, lost or otherwise never had much existence one wonders why that country is listed.

In the introduction, the author, Mr. Nick Middleton tells us that for every example he has selected, there were several others left out. He suggests that most of the ones in his book are recognized or have some functioning status. Many have gone out of existence, or have been removed from existence or never had much existence, such that too many have or had little if any of the attributes listed in the text as indicating that the example has more than a notional status as a country.

I like what I read, but there is not enough to read. Too many of Middletons’ examples are either notional or no longer on the map. Maybe we could have benefited if some of the many we were told exist but had not been selected had been added to the volume, it could have regained a more whimsical aspect.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been intrigued about micronations and unrecognized nations for a long, long time. I used to make little maps as a kid, devour atlases and such. It's just always been there. I was told about this absolutely gorgeous book a while back and knew I needed to own a copy.

In terms of presentation, this is one of the best I've seen. The maps are cut out from the pages before them, allowing for basic demographics on one page and capsule histories on the following. You get a very basic look at each "nation" and then move right on to the next one. It's a lot of fun, and perhaps more of an introductory piece.

The book ultimately loses points for me because of the overall lack of detail and the choices made as to which to highlight. For every oddity like Sealand, you get a lot of indigenous lands or annexed provinces that maybe don't belong in a volume like this in this sort of presentation. Plus, giving what amounts to one page of detail for each nation (for example, much of Sealand is given to the armed attempt to take it over by the British government and not much else; even the 99% Invisible introductory piece gives more detail in their shortform piece than this does) simply doesn't give the sort of weight or depth that a lot of these deserve. I wanted more!

Overall, though, this is just as much a conversation piece as it is a conversation starter. Absolutely a must have for those who love pretty books or want a good starter to the micronation/lost nations discussion, but if you're already well-versed and data presentation isn't your cup of tea, you might want to look elsewhere.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

A maioria destes países não existentes são tragédias políticas e humanitárias, com povos que se viram atravessados no meio das forças da história. Outros, curiosidades e resquícios dos tempos antigos. E ainda outros são constructos do imaginário, formas de tangibilizar os territórios da mente na geografia, ou de imaterializar as difusas fronteiras territoriais.

Passamos o tempo desta rápida leitura a pensar "é só isto"? O livro faz uma listagem interessante de estados-pária, países não reconhecidos, territórios sob ocupação, sem esquecer os micro-países auto-proclamados por pessoas bizarras. Infelizmente, não passa disso, com pequenos apontamentos que parecem decalcados de parágrafos da wikipédia a contar histórias que mereciam ser mais aprofundadas. O interesse deste livro está no recordar-nos que a ordem global não é tão estável quanto queremos crer, e termina com um apontamento interessante sobre países imaginários. Infelizmente, não passa de uma colecção de curtos apontamentos.

Como curiosidade, o autor refere um território independente na Madeira, o ilhéu da Pontinha, aparentemente ocupado por templários até ser devolvido à coroa portuguesa e entregue ao primeiro comprador, em 1909. Estranhamente, conheci o auto-proclamado príncipe da Pontinha em Santarém, num congresso de professores organizado pela ESE local. Tal como eu, o príncipe Renato é professor de Educação Visual e Tecnológica, e recordo-me vagamente de me ter falado do seu ilhéu num jantar scalabitano bem regado, mesmo na viragem do século. Curiosidades. Há que ver que os professores de EVT estão sempre envolvidos no que é interessante.

Certo, escrevi ali em cima "viragem de século". Cresci no último quarto do século XX, o que é que querem...