Cultural Sensitivity Policy

Why this policy exists

Nations Atlas covers every country in the world. Doing that responsibly requires being explicit about how we handle the parts of that job that are genuinely hard: contested territories, sacred topics, cultural difference, painful history, and communities that have been misrepresented in mainstream reference works for centuries.

This policy is not a marketing statement. It is the rulebook our editors and reviewers work to every day. If we are ever falling short of it, we want to hear from you.

Our core principles

Five principles guide every cultural decision on Nations Atlas:

1. Nuance over generalisation. We describe cultures with specificity, not sweeping statements.
2. Sourced over inherited. We cite sources rather than repeat what other reference works have said.
3. Reviewed by insiders. Every regional page is reviewed by someone from the region.
4. Humble, not certain. Where we do not know, we say so.
5. Correctable. Every page is openly correctable, and corrections are welcomed and credited.

Avoiding stereotypes

Stereotypes appear when a description of a culture is used to describe every person in it. We do not do this. Compare:

The same principle applies whether we are writing about a majority culture in a wealthy country or a minority culture in a poor one. Stereotypes about majority cultures are still stereotypes.

Avoiding colonial framings

Reference writing has a long history of describing non-European societies through a lens of European superiority. We refuse this framing. In practice, that means we:

• Say traditional or customary, not primitive.
• Say post-independence or modern, not developed as an implicit contrast to developing.
• Say indigenous where communities self-identify that way; use the community's own name where possible.
• Describe pre-colonial history in its own terms, not as a preamble to European contact.
• Acknowledge the impact of colonialism where it is directly relevant — extraction, borders drawn against communities, ongoing consequences — without turning every article into a lecture.

Contested territories

Several territorial disputes affect our coverage directly. Our approach is to present multiple recognised perspectives, cite sources, follow UN designations where they exist, note contested status transparently, and never advocate. Specific practice for the most active disputes:

• Israel and the Palestinian territories. We treat these as separate coverage. We use standard UN nomenclature. We consult paired reviewers with distinct perspectives. We cite the UN, the International Court of Justice, Israeli government sources, and Palestinian civil-society sources side by side where relevant.
• Kashmir. We describe the Line of Control, note that portions are administered by India, Pakistan, and China respectively, and cite sources from all three governments and independent monitoring bodies. We do not endorse any single national position on final status.
• Taiwan. We cover Taiwan as its own entity with its own culture, food, language, and travel context. We describe its contested political status factually, cite both PRC and ROC sources, and note where sources conflict.
• Kosovo. We note that Kosovo is recognised by many but not all UN member states and describe its administration factually.
• Western Sahara. We note the contested status, cite UN designations, and describe both Moroccan administration and Sahrawi claims.
• Cyprus. We describe the division, the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, and the Turkish-Cypriot administration in the north, citing UN and EU sources.

Where readers land on a country page related to a dispute, we link to the relevant partner page so both sides of the story are one click away.

Religion and sacred topics

Religions and sacred sites are covered factually and respectfully. Practice:

• We name religions and denominations correctly, using terms adherents use.
• We describe practices in the terms of practitioners, not from an implicit secular default.
• We note dress code, timing, and behavioural expectations at sacred sites so travellers can visit respectfully.
• We do not describe any religion as more or less rational, advanced, or civilised than any other.
• We do not adjudicate theological disputes between denominations or within a single religion.
• Where a religious practice has clear practical relevance to travellers or business — Ramadan fasting hours, Sabbath observance, prayer times, dress codes at sacred sites — we cover it directly.

Ethnic and religious diversity within countries

Every country is more diverse than a single label suggests. We treat this explicitly. Country pages describe the ethnic and religious composition of the country factually, name major minority groups by the names they use for themselves, note where minority groups face documented discrimination without sensationalising, and link to dedicated cultural pages where they exist.

Gender and LGBTQ+ coverage

Where relevant to travellers, business visitors, or long-term residents, we cover the legal and social situation for women and LGBTQ+ people factually. This includes noting jurisdictions where being LGBTQ+ is criminalised, where women face specific legal or practical restrictions, and where safety concerns exist. We do this without judgment on the culture as a whole, and we make it clear that culture is not the same as law and that individual attitudes vary widely.

Historical events and atrocities

Country history pages cover both the achievements and the atrocities of a country's past. Practice:

• We name genocides as genocides where an international consensus has recognised them (Holocaust, Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, Armenia and others).
• We describe colonial extraction and violence directly, not euphemistically.
• We describe slavery, indentured labour, and forced migration in factual terms.
• We do not sensationalise, use gore, or dwell on trauma for its own sake.
• We surface the perspective of survivors and affected communities alongside the historical record.

The cultural reviewer network

Our reviewer network is the primary practical safeguard for this policy. Reviewers are native to, or long-term residents of, the region they cover. They are paid per review, credited by name and region on every page, and empowered to require revisions before publication. For sensitive coverage we consult paired reviewers rather than a single voice. The editorial policy explains this in more detail.

Welcoming corrections

If we are missing nuance, using an outdated term, or getting something wrong about your culture, we want to know. Our correction policy explains how to tell us. Substantive corrections are actioned quickly, credited to the person who flagged them (if they want to be credited), and logged in our public correction log.

What we refuse to publish

Some content is out of scope for Nations Atlas regardless of who requests it:

• Ethnic, racial, or religious slurs, even in scare quotes.
• Content that describes any people as inferior, subhuman, or naturally violent.
• Content that denies a documented genocide.
• Content that portrays a religion, ethnicity, or nationality monolithically as violent, criminal, or backward.
• Content that promotes conversion therapy or the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people as a moral position.
• Content that romanticises colonial rule or slavery.
• Sponsored content that misrepresents a country's human rights situation.

This is a hard limit. It applies to editors, contributors, reviewers, and advertisers alike.