Targeted News Service
August 10, 2009 Monday 5:32 AM EST

Statement on Cartographic Treatment of Nagorno-Karabakh

WASHINGTON

National Geographic issued the following news release:

Questions have recently been raised regarding the cartographic
treatment of Nagorno-Karabakh on the NationalGeographic.com Web site.

Cartography that can be accessed on the Internet is often made
available through dynamic mapping platforms. Dynamic maps are
interactive and based on information from geographic databases. The
maps shown are often defined by the search terms entered by the user
and feature continuous zooming and panning capabilities.

The NationalGeographic.com Web site features a few of these dynamic
mapping platforms, including Microsoft Bing Maps and Google
Earth. National Geographic content is occasionally juxtaposed with
content from these platforms and therefore the boundaries and place
names shown do not necessarily reflect the cartographic policy of the
National Geographic Society.

In keeping with the National Geographic Society’s 121-year chartered
purpose as a not-for-profit scientific and educational organization,
the Society’s cartographic policy is one of portraying the world from
a de facto point of view, that is, to portray to the best of our
judgment the current reality. National Geographic strives to be
apolitical, to consult multiple authoritative sources, and to make
independent decisions based on extensive research.

Background on the National Geographic Society’s Cartographic Treatment
of Nagorno-Karabakh:

The revised 6th Edition Atlas of the World, published in 1992, was our
first atlas to address the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. In keeping with
our de facto policy, the Atlas addressed and portrayed this area as a
region of Azerbaijan as well as an Armenian enclave. This treatment
was used throughout all subsequent revisions of the 6th Edition up to
the publication of our 7th Edition Atlas in 1999.

By the time our 8th Edition Atlas was published in 2005, we had
established a policy whereby disputed areas, such as Nagorno-Karabakh,
were recognized as "Areas of Special Status." Such areas were now
designated by a gray fill, bounded by a colored boundary band
corresponding to that nation which had formally exercised full
administrative control of the territory. In addition, where scale
permitted, explanatory notes, such as the one below, were added to our
maps to explain the political situation of such disputed territories:

NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Since a cease-fire in 1994 ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan’s
Nagorno-Karabakh region have exercised autonomous control over the
region. International mediation to resolve the conflict continues.

As with other disputed areas in the world, we are closely viewing the
political situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Recent developments have
prompted us to revise our explanatory note as follows:

NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Since a 1994 cease-fire between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces,
ethnic Armenians have controlled Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan
continues to claim it.

Contact: Cindy Beidel, 202/862-5286, cbeidel@ngs.org