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Europe may be small in comparison to Canada, but it is densely populated and difficult to map as a continent while providing detail. Eastern Europe used to be defined as everything behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, but now it encompasses everything east of Germany and Switzerland, which means that this map covers Italy, Greece and the Balkan countries, the Central European countries of Romania and Hungary and most of Ukraine, Poland and the three Baltic states, and western Russia as far east as Volgograd, as well as much of Turkey. It is a combined road and rail map, showing motorways and major highways, fast-train routes in red and regular services in black. It also shows major cruise line routes, although many have been suspended due to Covid and political situations in Russia and Turkey.

Essentially, this is a map covering a very large area, as are our maps of Western and Central Europe, and our earlier map of Scandinavia. We have tried to make it politically correct, which is difficult considering the Russian occupation of Crimea and the Donetsk region of Ukraine and the on-going controversy over the ‘proper’ name for Macedonia, so we apologize for any errors. For simplicity’s sake, we have named most place names in English, so Roma is Rome and Moscva is Moscow etc. Fortunately, most English place names are the same in the local languages. However, being ITMB, Naples is Napoli, and Florence is Firenze, so don’t be too critical of us; we’re trying to reconcile differing perspectives.

• Publisert: 2021
• Innbinding: Falset
• Materiale: Papir
• Målestokk: 1:2 600 000

Our first-ever map of the Baltic country of Lithuania, which occupies Side 1 of this double-sided map. It is bordered by Latvia on its north, the Russian enclave of Kalingrad on its southeast, and Poland and Belarus on its south and east. It is now on the front lines of tension between Russia and its neighbours, as are all the Baltic states. It is also a valued member of both NATO and the EU, and as such is easy to access from either Poland or Latvia. Lithuania fronts on to the Baltic Sea with a major port at Klaipeda (formerly Memel), with its capital being Vilnius.

Historically, the country has suffered German and Russian invasions during the 20th century, the last of which resulted in the country losing its independence completely by being absorbed into the Russian Empire in the latter stages of WW2. It regained its independence in 1991, with the collapse of the USSR and shortly thereafter applied to join both the European Union and NATO. Touristically, the main attractions are shown in our Top Attractions listing. Culturally, it is closely associated with Scandinavia, especially Finland, and maintains cordial relations with Latvia and Poland. The current war in Ukraine has created difficulties entering either Russia or Belarus.

Side 2 of the map is an updated map of Latvia, with a detailed inset of its capital Riga. This Baltic country is bounded by Lithuania to the south, Estonia to the north, and Russia to the east. As all the Baltic states are members of the EU, access by air, ferry, and land are easy. Historic Riga is the main attraction of Latvia, but the region around Cesis has several significant sites of touristic interest, and the cathedral at Rezekne, in the east, is well-worth a visit.

• Publisert: 2023
• Innbinding: Falset
• Materiale: Plastpapir
• Målestokk: 1:500 000