Hidden Places
Locations that exist just outside the edge of the map. Off-limits, forgotten, or simply unknown.
13 articlesLatest Hidden Places
Burkina Faso: The West African Dictatorship That Loves Russia.
How Burkina Faso fell from a stable West African state to a military dictatorship allied with Russia, torn apart by jihadist insurgency and led by a young captain evoking the revolutionary legacy of Thomas Sankara.
Afghanistan is Now So Much Worse Than You Think.
Five years after the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan faces economic collapse, mass hunger, women's rights erasure, ISIS attacks, and rising tensions with Pakistan. Here's how the country descended into its worst crisis yet.
The Central Asian Region Where People Can't Stop Fighting...
Explore the Fergana Valley, Central Asia's most volatile region, where Soviet-drawn borders, ethnic diversity, and resource competition have fueled decades of brutal conflict between Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Tajiks.
The Golden Triangle's "Special Economic Zone" (For Crime)
How a Chinese casino tycoon became sovereign dictator of a lawless 3,000-hectare zone in Laos, where drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, and wildlife crime operate with near-total impunity.
The Ocean Rock That 4 Countries are Fighting Over...
Discover why four nations have spent decades battling over Rockall Bank, a tiny uninhabited rock in the North Atlantic, and why it might never be resolved.
The Region at War for 70 Years.
Explore the Korean Demilitarised Zone, the world's most fortified border, where North and South Korea remain technically at war after 70 years of tension, abductions, and near-nuclear conflict.
