Have you ever wondered what’s really going on in the world? You could see what people are saying on Facebook, or you could look at a map. How can a map show you anything other than where something is?
Quite easily, actually. These 25 maps will give you a slightly different perspective on your world and your region. They might even give you a little insight into the place you call home.
1. A map of everything across the water from you.
If you’re on the beach and wondering what’s out there if you were to head out in a straight line, this map will tell you.
2. Point Nemo, otherwise known as the oceanic pole of inaccessibility.
This is the point on the planet that is farthest from any land, at 1,670 miles from anything.
3. The way Google maps might look a little different depending on where you are.
Depending on the country you’re in, Google will tweak disputed international borders to keep everyone happy. If you’re in India (left), you’ll see the northern and eastern borders extend a bit farther, and if you’re in China (right) you’ll see them as cut off sooner. A neutral country in the dispute, like Germany (center), will see a dotted line and both sides of the story.
4. Median ages by country.
These numbers represent the average age of a country’s citizens. Developing nations tend to have a younger population than more developed ones due to access to medical care and family planning.
5. Preferred alcoholic beverage by country.
“Other alcohol” in this case means rice wines or wines made with other fermented grains, like sorghum or millet.
7. The power of a passport around the world.
The power of a passport is based on how many countries someone carrying that passport can get into with either visa-free access, or if they are readily given a visa on arrival.
9. The longest nonstop flights.
Take this into consideration when plotting your world travel.
10. The words for “bear” across Europe, and their linguistic origins.
This map shows where the various words for “bear” come from in their most ancient forms.
11. Percentage of people having sex in a week.
Get it, Greece! The U.S. is second-to-last at 53%, by the way.
12. Camouflage around the world.
This is what the militaries around the world wear to blend in with their surroundings. Drab goes with everything.
13. Most profitable exports by country.
Yep, that’s where your morning coffee is coming from.
14. The longest distance one can travel without running into a major body of water.
This route involves going from just north of Greenville, Liberia, to Wenling, China. It measures 13,589.31 kilometers and crosses 19 countries and territories and nine time zones. You’ll go through Burkina Faso twice.
15. How North America would look on other planets.
It takes up nearly a whole hemisphere on Mars, but is barely a speck on Jupiter.
16. The deceptive nature of the Mercator projection.
To make up for the fact that the Earth is round, maps have to be proportionately projected onto a flat surface, which can cause some serious distortion. The Mercator projection makes Canada, Greenland, and other northern areas seem huge compared to things nearer the Equator. Here’s Africa and Greenland as Mercator shows them, and as they really are.
17. The countries based on ethnic diversity.
There are all kinds of social and political implications here, so we’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
18. Access to sanitation around the globe.
Sanitation includes waste water/solid waste treatment services and infrastructure, toilets, or homes linked to a septic tank.
19. What the Earth would look like if the ice caps melted.
Yep, it’s a big deal. Every coastal city would be underwater. 216 feet of water, to be exact. Ideally, this wouldn’t happen for another 5,000 years, but humans are really good at speeding it along.
20. Tweets about the sunrise over a 24-hour period.
You can watch this until the sun comes up, honestly.
21. Key import sources per country.
Where does most of your stuff come from? This map will tell you. (It’s China. The answer is China.)
22. This map of Europe shows some greatly exaggerated mountains.
This isn’t what the terrain would actually look like, but it’s pretty impressive.
23. The only countries in the world Great Britain has not invaded.
They’re the ones in white. The British have invaded nine out of 10 countries on the planet.
25. There are more people living in this circle than outside it.
Which kind of puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?
These maps certainly tell us more than the average globe, and they’ll also evolve over time. Keep looking at maps to see what’s really going on on our little planet!
