diff --git a/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js b/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
index b546c9a9..c80da8b1 100644
--- a/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
+++ b/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ const DETAILS_PROPS = [
   { name: 'continent',         type: 'string' },
   { name: 'continent_gid',     type: 'string' },
   { name: 'continent_a',       type: 'string' },
+  { name: 'empire',            type: 'string',    condition: _.negate(hasCountry) },
+  { name: 'empire_gid',        type: 'string',    condition: _.negate(hasCountry) },
+  { name: 'empire_a',          type: 'string',    condition: _.negate(hasCountry) },
   { name: 'ocean',             type: 'string' },
   { name: 'ocean_gid',         type: 'string' },
   { name: 'ocean_a',           type: 'string' },
@@ -57,6 +60,11 @@ const DETAILS_PROPS = [
   { name: 'category',          type: 'array',     condition: checkCategoryParam }
 ];
 
+// returns true IFF source a country_gid property
+function hasCountry(params, source) {
+  return source.hasOwnProperty('country_gid');
+}
+
 function checkCategoryParam(params) {
   return _.isObject(params) && params.hasOwnProperty('categories');
 }
@@ -72,7 +80,7 @@ function checkCategoryParam(params) {
 function collectProperties( params, source ) {
   return DETAILS_PROPS.reduce((result, prop) => {
     // if condition isn't met, don't set the property
-    if (_.isFunction(prop.condition) && !prop.condition(params)) {
+    if (_.isFunction(prop.condition) && !prop.condition(params, source)) {
       return result;
     }
 
diff --git a/test/unit/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js b/test/unit/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
index c1fe22da..c7f2c8ac 100644
--- a/test/unit/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
+++ b/test/unit/helper/geojsonify_place_details.js
@@ -532,6 +532,52 @@ module.exports.tests.geojsonify_place_details = (test, common) => {
 
 };
 
+module.exports.tests.empire_specific = (test, common) => {
+  test('empire* properties should not be output when country_gid property is available', t => {
+    const source = {
+      country_gid: 'country_gid value',
+      empire: 'empire value',
+      empire_gid: 'empire_gid value',
+      empire_a: 'empire_a value',
+      label: 'label value'
+    };
+
+    const expected = {
+      country_gid: 'country_gid value',
+      label: 'label value'
+    };
+
+    const actual = geojsonify({}, source);
+
+    t.deepEqual(actual, expected);
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+  test('empire* properties should be output when country_gid property is not available', t => {
+    const source = {
+      empire: 'empire value',
+      empire_gid: 'empire_gid value',
+      empire_a: 'empire_a value',
+      label: 'label value'
+    };
+
+    const expected = {
+      empire: 'empire value',
+      empire_gid: 'empire_gid value',
+      empire_a: 'empire_a value',
+      label: 'label value'
+    };
+
+    const actual = geojsonify({}, source);
+
+    t.deepEqual(actual, expected);
+    t.end();
+
+  });
+
+};
+
 module.exports.all = (tape, common) => {
 
   function test(name, testFunction) {