Geography Atlas
Things this atlas does not know. Each entry is a question that specialists
have posed and not settled, recorded with what would actually resolve it and which
expertise the answer needs.
These are kept deliberately, rather than quietly omitted. An atlas that shows
only what it is sure of implies a confidence it has not earned, and the gaps are often where
the interesting work is. Several sit exactly where two fields fail to meet: identifying the
hyssop of the Hebrew Bible needs a botanist and a philologist of Biblical Hebrew, and neither
one settles it alone.
Grouped by the expertise recorded on each question, in the words the question itself uses. Most of these are held by a single question.
Showing 21 to 25 of 25 open questions, page 2 of 2.
Not Yet Classified 12
The Levant
What is the total area of the Levant?
Open The Levant
Why It Is Open The Wikipedia article on the Levant consulted for this entity states both a narrow, current-usage definition and a much wider historical one, with no single total area figure attached to either.
What Would Settle It A reference giving a summed area for the narrow, current-usage set this atlas adopts: Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Turkey's Hatay province.
Question posed in
Levant (Wikipedia), Lead section.
Western Europe
What is the total area of Western Europe?
Open Western Europe
Why It Is Open The Wikipedia article on Western Europe consulted for this entity states outright that the region's extent varies by context, and gives no single total area figure.
What Would Settle It A reference giving a summed area for the exact set of states this atlas's own entity names as most consistently included: France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria and Switzerland.
Question posed in
Western Europe (Wikipedia), Lead section.
Northern Europe
What is the total area of Northern Europe?
Open Northern Europe
Why It Is Open The Wikipedia article on Northern Europe consulted for this entity states the region has several competing definitions, and gives no single total area figure.
What Would Settle It A reference giving a summed area for the exact set of states and territories this atlas's own broad UN geoscheme definition names.
Question posed in
Northern Europe (Wikipedia), Lead section.
Southern Europe
What is the total area of Southern Europe?
Open Southern Europe
Why It Is Open The Wikipedia article on Southern Europe consulted for this entity states the region is loosely defined, and gives no single total area figure.
What Would Settle It A reference giving a summed area for the exact set of states this atlas's own entity names across its three peninsulas (Iberian, Italian, Balkan).
Question posed in
Southern Europe (Wikipedia), Lead section.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park
When was Sanjay Gandhi National Park established: 1942, 1969, 1974, 1981 or 1996?
Open Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Why It Is Open Published histories disagree and none read was the Maharashtra Forest Department notification. Krishnagiri National Park is dated 1942 (Bombay National Park Act) by Mumbai Tourism and IndiaGeographies, 1950 by WorldAtlas, 1969 or 1974 for the Borivali name or expansion, 1976 by WorldAtlas, 1981 for the renaming after Sanjay Gandhi by most sources, and 1996 by WorldAtlas and Mumbai Tourism for the same renaming, with IndiaGeographies giving national park status as 1983.
What Would Settle It The Maharashtra Forest Department or Government of India notification text or the park official history page, stating which year each step (Krishnagiri National Park, Borivali National Park, Sanjay Gandhi National Park) took effect, so the page can state one establishment year and the recorded fact can match it.
Question posed in
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Wikipedia), History section; compared with Mumbai Tourism, WorldAtlas, IndiaGeographies and Explore Maharashtra pages read 2026-10-11.