--- title: "Disputed borders on your maps | Guides | Map design" description: "Display disputed borders according to selected country policies." --- > For AI agents: a documentation index is available at [/llms.txt](https://docs.maptiler.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of all pages are available by appending .md to any URL. # Disputed borders on your maps Border disputes often represent complex geopolitical disagreements as well as a challenge for cartographers. It is problematic to ensure that maps reflect the borders without any bias towards either side of the conflict. To ease this issue, [MapTiler](https://www.maptiler.com/cloud/) enables users to display the borders according to the selected country’s policy. In this article, we will show you the way how this is done. _To change disputed borders on your maps, you need to have a MapTiler account created. If you don’t have one yet, please register for free at [MapTiler](https://cloud.maptiler.com/) or directly purchase at [MapTiler - Plans](https://www.maptiler.com/cloud/plans/)._ ## Disputed borders A boundary or territorial dispute is a **disagreement over an** **area of land claimed by two or more political entities**. Each involved party would publish its own maps where the area would be within their state territory. The conflicts can originate from historical background, different religious or ethnic perspectives, the possession of strategic natural resources or of a complex combination of a variety of these factors. What makes the mapping of border disputes even more difficult is the fact, that **every conflict is unique** and has its own geopolitical issues. Border disputes have significant meaning in **international law** as they disrupt its very basis – the state territory. There are a few terms widely used in relation: **border dispute**, **occupied territory** and **irredentism**. Occupied territory, however not accepted by the sovereign states, is usually in control of the occupied state by the military force. Irredentism has a deep basis in history. It is an ideological movement wanting to reclaim lost populations and territories that once declared the independence of their former state. The majority of current border disputes are already included in [MapTiler](https://maptiler.com/cloud) making it easy for you to adjust the boundaries as you wish. ## Tagging in OpenStreetMap Displaying the disputed borders according to your preference is enabled by the [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/) specialized tags such as `disputed_name` or `claimed_by`. These tags, however not officially approved, are widely used among users. There were several initiatives proposing the proper tagging of the border disputes, but none of them is active as of July 2021. [MapTiler Planet](https://docs.maptiler.com/schema/planet/#boundary) and [OpenMapTiles schema](https://openmaptiles.org/schema/#boundary) used in MapTiler maps have similar tags that are in compliance with the OSM ones. `Disputed_name` tag contains the name of the disputed area without spaces and is valid for country boundaries only (`admin_level = 2`). `Claimed_by` tag consists of the ISO2 country code and specifies the country according to which’s policy the borders will be displayed. A list of the ISO2 country codes can be found for example [here](https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/country_code_list.htm). There is also the basic `disputed` tag which defines whether the border is (`value = 1`) or is not disputed (`value = 0`). ## Change disputed borders in one click MapTiler allows you to quickly create a map that would be in line with the selected country’s policy. 1. Log in to your Cloud account and select a map either from your maps or Standard maps section: [MapTiler - Maps](https://cloud.maptiler.com/maps/), then click on **Customize a copy**. 2. Select Settings (Alt+s) 3. From the Borders drop-down list select **Preferred country borders**. You can **choose from the following countries’** points of view: Abkhazia, Armenia, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Guyana, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Nagorno Karabakh, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Russia, South Ossetia, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine and Western Sahara. ## Advanced changing of disputed borders If you want to dig a bit deeper into the disputed borders mapping, go to the **Layers** panel. Click on any borders layer and go to the **Data** tab. In the **Filter** properties, you can work with the disputed attribute tags: - `disputed` - `disputed_name` - `claimed_by` For highlighting just the borders that are disputed use **disputed Yes option** (or `disputed==1` filter in the JSON editor) and adjust the line styling (you can change color, width or use a dash array). You can also work with the `claimed_by` tag and [country codes](https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/country_code_list.htm). For example, if you want to see Kashmir from India’s point of view, add the filter `claimed_by == IN`. With `disputed_name` filter, you can write specific values stored in the borders data. Click on the preferred border on the map > click on disputed\_name > copy the value > add it to the filter with a “plus” button. ![disputed\_borders\_name.png](./17324652106257_370bdfb985.webp) ### Removal of disputed borders Some claims (such as Moroccan over Western Sahara) require **hiding the disputed borders** between the two territories. You can filter out the border with `claimed_by` or  `disputed_name` tags and then use the **“eye” icon** next to the layer name to hide it. ### Styling The map design of the disputed borders is often being discussed by cartographers. A **dashed line** is the most commonly used style. This can be achieved in the Style tab under **Advanced outline properties** > **Dasharray.** The format is **number, number** (**lengths** of the alternating dashes, **gaps** that form the dash pattern). Another way to add a bit of uncertainty is a **blur** (under Effects) or adjustment of **opacity**. If preferred, you can also edit the whole layer design in the **JSON editor** (Alt+E). ## Conclusion Border disputes are difficult and complex situations requiring deeper thinking when creating a map. MapTiler allows every user to easily adjust the borders according to their preferred point of view using **MapTiler Map Designer**. MapTiler team carefully checks and maintains the disputed borders in MapTiler Planet. If you would like to add a new country point of view or adjust the existing ones, please don’t hesitate to contact our [support team](https://docs.maptiler.com/support/requests/). ## Next steps Continue to [How to automatically change disputed borders according to your map visitors’ location](https://docs.maptiler.com/guides/map-design/how-to-automatically-change-disputed-borders-according-to-your-map-visitors-location/) to learn how to change disputed borders on a MapTiler map based on the political view of the country where the visitor is from. ## Useful links [MapTiler Planet schema - boundary](https://docs.maptiler.com/schema/planet/#boundary)