Guess The Map

ILX: come for the zings, stay for the comparison of legal systems between Aruba and Curacao...

Is it amount of inward investment by China in these countries?

How old is this map? South Sudan isn't marked, though it may be covered up by that yellow blob.

I think the map is from 2020, but its accurate for today.

South Sudan is on the map isn't it? I assume the map is just a base template map

wait, I have it! Is it Earth?

Surely for a 'Guess the..' thread, this has to follow the "Guess the City" thread where you post an image of the inside of someone's shoe then disappear for a month?

Ok, let me think of a suitable hint on the way home. I'll post one in a couple of hours unless anyone wants a bit more time

Has anyone been in the right ballpark?

I think all of the answers so far have been in the same ballpark as each other, but none of them in the same ballpark as the answer

IIRC, Perú's biggest exports are copper, gold, oil and fish-related products (fertilizer, animal pellets).

Countries that don't have Starbucks yet

jk I know that's wrong

I really thought Dominican Republic would give me some big clues but it didn't.

If it’s like all countries with nickel deposits or something I’m going to hurl the computer through the window

Countries that have an even number of McDonald's restaurants

The DR and anvil's hint makes me think it's baseball or Olympic related.

If that is a reference to the ballpark reference, that isn't a hint. Dan Worsley introduced that reference and I was just replying in kind

Although neither answer is close, Josefa and StanM have been the closest with their suggestions

'incidences of certain businesses' would be quite a letdown

Is it countries Amazon don’t operate in?

No, because Germany is there

(Germany is purple fwiw)

Countries that perpetrate(d) genocide?

oh wait, you said green is what matters.

been trying to focus on the Ghana presence but getting nothing.

Google maps / satellite / streetview coverage? even though I've already disproved this myself.

I forgot about this after trying to think how to do a clue

'incidences of certain businesses' would be quite a letdown

It might be considered as a letdown

It really is a strange subset of countries. I can't decide if "green" means "has" or "has not". What could Western Sahara, Russia, Bonaire and Mauritius have in common? But if it is a "has not", then what the hell is going on in CAR and Chad and Niger, but not Ghana?

If there is a boat for those of us who are saying "I give up, tell us the answer already" I'm on that boat

Green means the country has it

*removes bookmark*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LC_Waikiki

LOL ok I’m mad haha

I’ve never even heard of that thing

*re-removes bookmark, throw laptop out window*

With approx 54,000 employees worldwide, LC WAIKIKI directly employs nearly 0.000007% of the world's population!

Ok, my turn...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LC_Waikiki#/media/File:Lcw_magazalar_turkiye.svg

I'll come back in a few months if anyone needs any hints.

It is a great thread idea anvil tbqph

but but

what do the colours mean?

blue = yes, blue = no, grey = yes no

oh, that makes perfect sense - thank you :-)

https://thumbor.bigedition.com/heat-map/F9R3hm2lWqVzDdyoWqrseR-4AVQ=/800x504/filters:format(webp):quality(80)/granite-web-prod/80/67/80679f12a6eb4d3ebf279c64676a13fb.jpeg

ignore the markers i think, all about the heat map

Number of lights on at a certain point of the day.

no :)

it looks very city/ population related - could be so many things

guessing McDonald's restaurants again?

availability of bratwurst

Places Where Germans Go On Holiday

places introverts should avoid

Number of Volkswagen cars

Neanderthal DNA prevalence

incidence of dementia

what is that little dark spot in the Gulf - Djibouti?

Average life expectancy?

Average life expectancy?

Reverse google image searched it, good luck getting this one guys.

Greenland complete contrast to the adjacent lands, hmmmm

(this time Greenland and Svalbard aren't part of Denmark and Norway, respectively - they sometimes are) - and Crete and Mallorca are probably too small to see (or the lines around them are too thick)

Iran, Irak, Afghanistan, Libya, Djibouti, North Korea are brighter than their surrounding countries - is it something political? (but then Greenland and Svalbard again - and those two shouldn't be life expectancy either I think)

Pakistan, Syria, Sudan, also - political? Terrorism?