Getting detailed maps in lots of coutries is difficult. Lived in Ethiopia for a while, which up until 1993 was governed by a communist regime. Around 2000 it was still law that in order to get maps on a 1:10000 scale you needed a government license/permit and could only be bought at the "Mapping Authority". 1:100000 maps on the other hand were available everywhere. Lots of other countries have restrictions for instance on key bridges and other infrastructure, disallowing access, pictures, stopping, etc.