Diplomatic nightmare at the Pioneer Courthouse Square

Image via WikipediaAlmost every world-class city has its city square, and Portland is no exception.  Presently, the Portland Rose Festival -- the "official festival of Portland, Oregon" is under way and is drawing tourists from everywhere.  So is the Pioneer Courthouse Square, "Portland's living room."

The local artist Bill Will has designed an impressive display of flowers in a world map formation, for the Portland Rose Festival's "Festival of Flowers" at the Pioneer Courthouse Square.

But the unintentional error on the artist might provoke some unpleasant diplomatic snafu as the Pioneer Courthouse Square, "Portland's living room," continues to draw Chinese and Russian tourists.

This year, the annual Pioneer Courthouse Square display of flowers features a large map of the world, with each country represented by a flower.  For instance, purple flowers for the United States of America, red for Mexico, and yellow for Canada.

Perhaps the designers of this display, not surprising given the low geographical literacy of Americans, did not intend to make a series of errors that might earn the wraths of some diplomatic officials abroad.

Take a stroll down to the Pioneer Courthouse Square and look closely to the eastern end of the display.  Japan is represented by green, bamboo-like plants -- with a rather amazing accuracy of shape (sans Shikoku).  Look towards the south.  Here is Taiwan in green -- with the same type of plants, while the People's Republic of China is red.  Look north of Hokkaido: the island of Sakhalin, now an oblast of Russia, is also green!  What is up with this picture?  Apparently, the creator of this display is stuck in the pre-1945 world geography class, when Japan did indeed own both Sakhalin (Karafuto) and Taiwan.  (Well, Japan did occupy Korea, too -- but the floral map accurately paints Korea with two different colours, purple for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and orange for south Korea).

As an official Rose Festival sanctioned event, this is a possible diplomatic irritant.  The Chinese diplomat would be non-plussed by the apparent occupation of Taiwan, which China claims to be part of its inalienable territory, by Japan.  The Russians would not be happy to see one of its major islands being mistaken for a Japanese territory (in fact, in prior to 1945, only the southern half of Sakhalin was Japan). And most Taiwanese residents want Taiwan to be either Chinese or independent (with small fringe exceptions).

Fail!

UPDATES! (June 11): I note that the Sakhalin island has morphed into Hokkaido, while the previous Hokkaido has been absorbed into Honshu, making the Tohoku region somewhat elongated.  Taiwan still belongs to Japan.

UPDATES! (June 11): Why is Sinai Peninsula given away to Jordan?  It is actually Egypt.