The country was historically about evenly balanced between Catholic and Protestant, with a complex patchwork of majorities over most of the country.

Taxation in the Ottoman Empire changed drastically over time, and was a complex feudal patchwork of different taxes, exemptions, and local customs.

This led to a complex patchwork of different taxes in different parts of the empire, and between different communities.

Whistleblowing in the U.S. is affected by a complex patchwork of contradictory laws.

Early fiber optic systems used a complex patchwork in which the signal was converted from light to electricity, augmented electronically and then changed back into light.

The children, whose backgrounds form a rich, complex American patchwork, are as remarkable for their individuality as for their sociological diversity.

Physically, it was a horrendously complex patchwork of neurosecretory cells; the original matrix had taken the American DARPA office over a decade to develop.

The agency continually reviews management plans for 38 different sections, or units, of the park, a complex patchwork of private and public lands.

Another fascinating find: genomes are complex patchworks of genes from a startling variety of sources.

"The music was based on a freewheeling style blending imrpov-centric electronics and ethnic motifs with a complex patchwork of oddly linked themes and shifting time signatures."