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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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07248900.002
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1990-09-17
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TRAVEL, Page 49Lost and FoundAt last, Moscow's on the map
When he arrived in Moscow last August, a Western diplomat had
to choose which of two cars to buy. In the end he picked the one
he liked less and that cost more. His reason: "The owner threw in
one of the American maps with the car."
Until last week the most reliable guide to the huge,
concentrically built Soviet capital was widely known as "the CIA
map." Lent to American diplomats on posting to Moscow, the
high-quality maps were coveted. Western tourists traveling in
groups had little trouble getting around to the major sights, but
individuals or long-term visitors were at the mercy of the Soviet
belief that "if you don't know where you are, you don't belong
there."
For years Soviet officials feared that accurate maps and city
guides would be a boon to spies and saboteurs and, as a result,
were highly selective in their cartography. The notorious
Dzerzhinsky Square headquarters of the KGB was nowhere to be found
on most Soviet-made maps. And out in the countryside, rivers,
villages and mountains moved with each new edition.
But in the age of glasnost, officials have at last decided to
introduce new maps of Moscow, which will include about 90% of the
city's streets. The revised maps come just in time. Warming
relations between East and West have brought a flood of visitors.
U.S. travel to the Soviet Union with Intourist has doubled since
1984, to more than 75,000 visitors last year. The number would be
higher but for the shortage of hotel space. Though the new maps are
welcome, old habits die hard. Tourists renting cars still receive
only partial route guides, which omit the roads to cities that are
closed to visitors. "Maps are really not a requirement," observes
Dutch traveler Robert Harting. "The police make sure you're on the
right road."