Saudi Arabia - Yemen Border

I liked this story published by the New York Times on Oct. 26, 2010, because it reminds me of the problem my home state of Texas is having with Mexican residents illegally crossing the border. This story described the problem of Yemen residents crossing into Saudi Arabia illegally, bringing drugs and allowing Al Qaeda fighters to go back and forth.

This map is useful because it shows more than just the two countries involved. Seeing more of the area lets the reader put the location on their mental global map. Using a lighter color to denote Saudi Arabia and Yemen helps bring the reader's attention to the countries. This map would be more informative if there were symbols signifying what the geography of the area is (ex: mountains versus desert) and what kind of barriers are in the way (ex: fences versus nothing).