Nicaragua is the most triangular country in the world

Underperforming, the U.S. comes in only 157th out of 196 in global triangularity ranking.

Credit: Cacahuate, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Sierra Leone is the world's roundest country and Egypt the squarest. But you knew that.
  • Bet you didn't know which is the world's most triangle-shaped country.
  • That is until now, because someone's figured out that it's... Nicaragua!
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Actually, New York is half socialist already

1895 map of New York City shows 'concrete socialism' in red, 'private enterprises' in white.

Credit: PJ Mode Collection of Persuasive Maps – Public Domain
  • As this 1895 map proves, the political argument about socialism in the United States is not new at all.
  • The map makes the point that socialism isn't foreign or alien, but as American as the pavements (and parks) of New York.
  • It shows 'concrete socialism' in red, and 'private enterprises' in white - each make up about half of the city.
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A normal tourist map, "but everything is negative"

'Critical Tourist Map of Oslo' offers uniquely dark perspective on Norway's capital.

Credit: Markus Moestue
  • Your standard tourist map is irrepressibly positive about its location—but not this one.
  • Norwegian activist/artist Markus Moestue reveals the dark and shameful sides of Oslo.
  • He hopes his 'Critical Tourist Map' will inspire others to reveal the dark side of their cities.
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One century ago, women's suffrage swept America

In this 1915 map, Lady Liberty shines her light in the West on women in the East, still in electoral darkness

Image: Library of Congress, public domain
  • One century ago, the main electoral issue moving public opinion was women's suffrage.
  • This 1915 map shows how votes for women were won in the West, and yearned for in the East.
  • In 1920, the 19th Amendment granted 26 million women the vote, just in time for that year's presidential elections.
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End gerrymandering? Here’s a radical solution

Why not just divide the United States in slices of equal population?

Image: u/curiouskip, reproduced with kind permission.
  • Slicing up the country in 10 strips of equal population produces two bizarre maps.
  • Seattle is the biggest city in the emptiest longitudinal band, San Antonio rules the largest north-south slice.
  • Curiously, six cities are the 'capitals' of both their horizontal and vertical deciles.
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