Islands in the Sea
THEME:
This puzzle, with only a few exceptions, does not have contiguous pieces.
The shape of each nation must be matched with one or more of the many islands in the Caribbean.
Surprisingly, several include widely dispersed islands that don't obviously go together.
PuzzleMap is a great way to learn where these tiny and confusing countries belong in this freckled part of the ocean.
• Total pieces = 28
• Total vertices = 19,538
CLUES: The capital, population and total area of each contry are just basic information. A "Fun Fact" is included to demonstrate the versatility of PuzzleMap. A clue can both identify a piece and inform, inspire or entertain the puzzle solver.
BASEMAP:
An OSM topographic basemap was selected for its sharp contrast and clear indication of where the island nations are.
It also labels the major cities (usually the capital) rather than the country name which helps strengthen that association.
• Min Zoom = 3
• Max Zoom = 12
VARIATIONS: Other archipelagos could be made into similar puzzles but with a different emphasis. Geology, indigenous species or historical significance could be clues. The major islands of the world could be a puzzle. Isolated areas of any kind would make a similar kind of PuzzleMap. Forests, parks, Indian reservations and military bases would all be thematic "islands."
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: Due to the many minor islands, particularly surrounding Cuba, this puzzle has significantly more vertices than the other examples. Performance is still acceptable and suggests that higher resolution puzzles are possible when necessary. Most pieces are quite small, too, compared to the total area of the puzzle. This makes the Puzzle Index an essential tool for solvers.