Maps, Facts and Places
A Russian channel of quirky maps and geography trivia: Eiffel Tower copies around the world, snowy capitals, Mongolia's navy and a 1900 atlas of the biggest cities.
What it is
"Karty, fakty, po mestam" ("Maps, Facts and Places") is a Telegram channel run by a blogger who goes by Vlad Slav. His description says it is for people who love maps and fun facts about geography and the world around us. When we checked it had about 17,000 subscribers and posted almost daily. Posts are in Russian, but many of the maps speak for themselves.
The feed runs on three kinds of posts, each with its own hashtag: #vladslav_карты for maps with an explanation of what they show; #vladslav_инфографика for charts and diagrams, such as the most common colour combinations on world flags; and #vladslav_упоротые_карты for joke maps, captioned things like "my dreams with a 39-degree fever". In between come quiz-style posts and short stories about countries.
Why we picked it
It turns maps into stories. A map of every copy of the Eiffel Tower around the world is fun on its own, but he adds detail: Russia has a few, including one in a village literally called Paris in the Chelyabinsk region. A post on which European lake sits in three countries at once explains why Lake Constance is a rare case where the water borders were never properly drawn.
He loves questions with surprising answers. Which country once had both the biggest and the smallest navy? Mongolia — the world's second-largest landlocked country. Posts like that are easy to retell over dinner, and that is the point.
There are historical maps, too: the First Mexican Empire at its peak in 1821–1823, when the country stretched from today's US to Central America; or a page from a pocket world atlas published in St Petersburg in 1900, ranking the most populous cities of the time. It is fun to compare with today.
He also shares finds from around the web: Terra Somnia, an interactive 3D map of nearly 100,000 dreams from all over the world, or an online game where you draw national borders from memory. A map of which capitals get snow every year is a good reality check on what you think you know about climate.
Where to start
- Open the Mongolian navy post — it captures the channel's style.
- Look at the Eiffel Tower map and spot the Russian copies.
- Compare the 1900 list of the world's biggest cities with today's.
- Try the draw-the-borders game.
- Scroll through #vladslav_инфографика for quick visual facts.
Who it's for
Geography fans and anyone who gets lost in internet maps. Students and geography teachers looking for lively examples. Travellers curious about why the world is arranged the way it is. And trivia lovers stocking up for pub quizzes. Each post stands alone, so you can start anywhere — with a translator if you don't read Russian.
Quick answers
What is it about? Maps, infographics and curious facts about countries, cities and nature.
Who runs it? The author signs as Vlad Slav and links his other social accounts in the bio.
Are there ads? The bio lists an advertising and partnership contact, so sponsored posts are possible.
