THINKINGUPDATED June 2023. I am still working on versions of this map, trying to find the right style and level of detail. Latest version is here (and available for download on the "Finished Maps" page. I have marked this version with a Creative Commons license and it may be reused and reprinted for free as long as you attribute the map to me as the creator.
I posted a first sketch of an AUKUS map a few weeks ago and have been working further on the basic idea. This map still has a lot of room for improvement, but I think might be getting the broad outlines right.
Commentary on the AUKUS announcement has made for a good month of discussing time-distance maps of the Pacific, including an old one from CSBA and a new one from The Economist. I have made the point about distances in the Pacific several times before, in maps and articles, but was trying here to depict the overall geopolitical configuration of AUKUS beyond the operational considerations.
It was important to preserve distance across some of the surface of the map, so I used an Azimuthal Equidistant projection, centered on Guam, and went with a square frame. Guam isn't precisely at the center, but I was compromising between the projection and keeping all the AUKUS countries in the frame. In addition to distances (ranges from key points and great circle paths), I also thought it was important to feature bathymetry. Including submarine cables emphasizes the point that the undersea domain is already rather busy and vital.
