Strange Maps
A special series by Frank Jacobs.
Frank has been writing about strange maps since 2006, published a book on the subject in 2009 and joined Big Think in 2010. Readers send in new material daily, and he keeps bumping in to cartography that is delightfully obscure, amazingly beautiful, shockingly partisan, and more. "Each map tells a story, but the stories told by your standard atlas for school or reference are limited and literal: they show only the most practical side of the world, its geography and its political divisions. Strange Maps aims to collect and comment on maps that do everything but that - maps that show the world from a different angle."
featured
Irrecoverable carbon: Don’t touch the world’s vital carbon sinks
Most “irrecoverable carbon” is concentrated in these tiny bits of the Earth’s land mass. Can we keep it there?
This map of Hutterite colonies shows evolution at work
This map of Hutterite colonies in North America says something about religion and evolution — and more precisely, speciation.
Geopsychology: Your personality depends on where you live
The nascent field of geopsychology shows that the Big Five personality traits vary by region. But not all results conform to stereotype.
Exotic and sustainable, night trains are coming back to Europe
The “Euro Night Sprinter” map is utopian, but Europe’s rail future could look a lot like it.
Why do in-flight maps show shipwrecks?
On long-haul flights, some airlines show shipwrecks on their in-flight maps. The aim is to entertain; the result is often to horrify.
Food origins: Why Jesus never ate a banana
69 percent of the global diet is "foreign," says a study that pinpoints the origin of 151 food crops.
In Europe, trust in others depends on location
The 2021 Quality of Government Index shows how much trust the citizens of Europe place in each other and in their elected politicians.
A 19th century family portrait of comets
The thrills and horrors of strange heavenly bodies condensed into one attractive snapshot.
Why this Japanese seafood dish outrages both Koreas
Two mounds of rice and a tiny flag in a sea of curry is enough to re-heat an old territorial conflict.
What did Europeans actually discover? Not all that much
This map shows that the territories discovered by Europeans add up to an area no bigger than Utah.
Don’t even try to read “Moby Dick” without this map
This might help you make it to the end of Herman Melville’s 19th century classic.
Electricity generation by U.S. state
U.S. states vary radically in terms of electricity generation. Vermont is the cleanest, while Delaware is the dirtiest.
U.S. vs. Canada: five modern-day territorial disputes
All of these conflicts have a long history. They may also have a long future.
Did dark magic conjure up the British Empire?
Esoteric evidence points to a ritual performed by Queen Elizabeth's court magician John Dee.
Europe’s oldest map shows tiny Bronze Age kingdom
Discovered in 1900, the Saint-Bélec slab languished unrecognized in a castle basement for over a century.
Peak foliage map: where and when are leaves changing color?
Starting just about now, leaves start changing color from north to south, high to low, light to dark.
Here’s how early school begins – and why it is bad for students
In Louisiana, high school starts at 7:30 am. Research shows that is at least an hour too early.
Famous map of a woman’s heart tells only half the story
One of the best-known allegorical depictions of love has a rather pessimistic male twin.
Just four colors are enough for any map. Why?
The four-color theorem was one of the past century's most popular and enduring mathematical mysteries.
German street names still echo Nazi, Communist, and even Roman past
Even 1500 years after the fall of Rome, its western border can still be seen on German street maps.
One man visited all 2964 bus stops in San Francisco — for science
Americans don't like to ride the bus. There are ways to fix that.
Why the U.S. and Belgium are culture buddies
The Inglehart-Welzel World Cultural map replaces geographic accuracy with closeness in terms of values.
American imperialism: fat-shaming Uncle Sam
Opponents of 19th-century American imperialism were not above body-shaming the personification of the U.S. government.
Android has won the phone world war
A global survey shows the majority of countries favor Android over iPhone.
More than half the world is still unmapped — but not for long
By the end of this decade, Seabed 2030 wants to produce accurate maps for the remaining 80 percent of the ocean floor.
Free speech? Not everybody loves it, this map shows
In some countries, people want more freedom of speech. In others, they feel that there is too much.
How much does it cost to start a business? There’s a world map for that
UAE is the world's most expensive country to start a business, but it's free in Rwanda.
Mysterious dodecahedrons of the Roman Empire
The first of many dodecahedrons was unearthed almost three centuries ago, and we still don't know what they were for.
Why Africa’s newest super-bridge is in the continent’s weirdest border zone
The Kazungula Bridge connects Zambia and Botswana, barely missing Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Welcome to the United Fonts of America
At least 222 typefaces are named after places in the U.S. — and there's still room for more.