Why Every Map of China is Just Slightly Wrong

4M views · 7 years ago · explainer · evergreen

A Half as Interesting explainer on why maps of China are slightly wrong. It describes how mapmaking in China is regulated and licensed, and how maps are deliberately altered to comply.

HN people use it as the short explanation of China's deliberately inaccurate maps, linked in threads on mapping, GPS and censorship.

“The maps that do exist are deliberately wrong.”

6 comments from Hacker News

j
@jjakque2019 · in “An Analysis of WeChat’s Realtime Image Filtering in Chats”
short video explanation on said china map topic: ▶ this video
RecommendsView on HN
h
@hsnfirooz2019 · in “Video: Why Every Map of China Is Just Slightly Wrong”
Submitted the video to Hacker News.
RecommendsView on HN
B
@ButlerianJihad2026 · in “Cartographers of North Korea (2019)”
Coincidentally, yesterday I just found this chestnut from "Half as Interesting" in 2019: ▶ this video Summary: in China, cartography is illegal without approval and a license. The maps that do exist are deliberately wrong. They are obfuscated by technical means, and therefore, by design, there are no accurate extant maps of China. link For comparison: even South Korea! link
CitesView on HN
C
@CaliforniaKarl2021 · in “Why is the Gaza Strip blurry on Google Maps?”
Indeed, there's a Half As Interesting video talking about this: ▶ this video
j
@jiggawatts2019 · in “Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong”
Funnily enough I just watched this video about how every map of China is deliberately wrong to be compliant with an idiotic law they have: ▶ this video
D
@DaniloDias2019 · in “China's version of GPS now has more satellites than US original”
Every map in China is wrong. ▶ this video Pretty significant indicator that the intention is for military applications