Mapmakers Debate How to Define Crimea

Much of the world is watching how the high-stakes tug-of-war over Crimea will play out, but perhaps no group of professionals is more invested than cartographers.

Cartographers are tasked with mapping the political dimensions of the globe. That means when a piece of land switches ownership between countries, it's their job to decide whether they want to make that change official.

The latest debate for this small but influential club is centered on Crimea, the once-autonomous region of Ukraine that voted on March 16 to become a part of Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a treaty to annex the peninsula, and it now must be approved by the Russian parliament. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian government announced it was pulling out its troops. But Western nations including the United States, the U.K., and Germany, have not recognized the potential annexation that Vice President Joe Biden has called a "land grab." Read more...