I also like the feel of the map. It's simplicity speaks for itself with calm colors.
The only critique I personally have, is the actual symbols for the cities and capital cities. I always liked to just have a dot to show for it.
I find that little pictures of cities like this throws the scale of the map off a little bit.
Again, this is the only critique I have, and it is speaking from a personal preference.
This is indeed a great map!