Surprising Total Population
The areas highlighted in red on the map indicate areas that have a total population than the rest of the country, shown in grey, combined. It’s pretty crazy to think that most of the population is crammed into these areas.
Surprising Total Population
Mongolian Empire, 1279
While we tend to think of the United States as the center of the Universe, it’s important to remember history. For comparison’s sake, the region highlighted in orange shows the reach of the Mongolian Empire in 1279. It actually spans over a total area of land that’s bigger than the entire United States!
Mongolian Empire, 1279
See The Sound
This map is truly interesting because it gives a visual representation of how loud and quiet different areas are around the country. The closer to white-yellow, the louder the area, while the blue and dark blue areas are quieter. It’s not too surprising that big cities are quite loud and vast open areas are quieter, but it’s crazy to see a visual illustration.
See The Sound
8 Million Miles Of Highways
Did you know that highways make up 8 million miles of the entire United States? That’s a whole lot of paving! Here you can see how interconnected all of the American highways really are. Who’s up for a road trip?
8 Million Miles Of Highways
Light Pollution
Light pollution occurs when there is an excess of artificial light, causing the natural night sky to be drowned out completely. Here we can see a visual representation of the light pollution in the United States. As we can see, more populated areas cause a lot of the light pollution, but so does the South.
Light Pollution
Population Spikes
It’s always interesting to see how population numbers change, and as of late, there has been a trend towards increased populations around the globe. This map shows the distribution of the increase in population in the United States. The East coast is certainly contributing a lot in this area.
Population Spikes
Countries That Don’t Use The Metric System
In the United States, we use the Imperial system of measurement system, which is a vestige of when the United States were British colonies. Interestingly enough, not many other places use this system, and this map gives a visual representation of the other places that do. Of course, these other places
Countries That Don’t Use The Metric System
Tree Cover Visualization
We all know the importance of needing to protect our trees and forests, but do we actually know how much of the country is made up of trees? This map shows us just how much of the actual land is covered in forests. Though it looks like a lot, we still need to make sure these trees don’t die out.
Tree Cover Visualization
Efficient Road Trip Through Every Springfield In The Country
Have you ever noticed that there are a ton of places around the United States that have a city called Springfield? Somebody very clever thought about this and decided to make a map of the most efficient way to travel through every single Springfield in the country. Looks like a fun road trip!
Efficient Road Trip Through Every Springfield In The Country
Out Of Service Railways
One thing that the United States is not known for is for its public transportation and railways. It’s a shame, since it would be a great way to get around the country without needing a car. However, railways used to be more popular before the automobile. Here’s a map of all the defunct railways around the country.
Out Of Service Railways
Air Traffic Control Zones
Traveling by air is one of the most incredible things about living in the times we are in. Centuries ago, people could only dream of flying from one place to the other, and now we can even use WiFi aboard planes. Here is a map of the air traffic control zones above the United States.
Air Traffic Control Zones
States Resized According To Population Density
We tend to forget just how vast the entire country of the United States really is, since we usually think about states individually. In this map, each state is resized according to population density. This helps explain the distribution of electoral votes for every state as well.
States Resized According To Population Density
Red And Orange Sections Have Equal Populations
The way population in the United States works is truly fascinating. For some reason, people tend to gravitate towards the coasts, both east and west, and cram into small areas that are highly populated. Here we can see that the small orange slivers on the coasts’ populations are equal to the population of the entire area marked in red.
Red And Orange Sections Have Equal Populations
United States Vs. Australia Size
In the United States, we don’t tend to think about other countries very often outside the context of vacation. Who really thinks about how large Australia is? These maps that superimpose the US on top of Australia show just how massive Australia is. The two are relatively similar in size.
United States Vs. Australia Size
Use Of The Word “Dang” Across The U.S.
It’s a well known fact that people from different areas in the United States have very different vernacular, and that is most commonly reflected in the slang that’s used. For example, here’s a map that shows just how common the use of the word “dang” is around the country, with red being most used and blue being least used.
Use Of The Word Dang Across The U.S.
Popular Coffee Shop Chains By Number Of Locations
While their slogan is “America runs on Dunkin,” this map proves that America actually runs on Starbucks. That is, except for New England, the Carolinas, and Florida, which do run on Dunkin. And we can’t forget about Minnesota, the lone state that runs on Caribou Coffee, which originated in the state.
Popular Coffee Shop Chains By Number Of Locations
The Top States in America…Literally
Some maps show us facts that are hard to see, but some maps just clearly state the obvious. Here we can see the top states in the United States…literally. Hey, you can’t argue with facts! Hopefully these states like Canada.
The Top States In America…Literally
Underwater Cables That Sustain The Internet
Did you know that the entire Internet is powered by underwater cables that are deep under all of us around the globe? It’s pretty fascinating to see visually as well. While it seems like a miracle, it’s actually a whole lot of very impressive engineering that makes it all possible.
Underwater Cables That Sustain The Internet
Amount Of The World Covered By Google Street View
Google Street View is a very popular way of seeing the world through the Internet, so just how much of it is actually covered? This map shows that a lot of the world is covered by the program, but that there are also plenty of places left to be charted as well.
Amount Of The World Covered By Google Street View
Railway Networks Around The Globe
While railway systems do exist in the United States, they are typically more used for cargo. Meanwhile, in Europe, it’s a well known thing that people rely on railways for much of their travels. This map shows all of the railway networks around the world.
Railway Networks Around The Globe
Counties With A GDP Over $100 Billion
The United States is known to be a world superpower, and that’s thanks to a lot of very wealthy companies and individuals. So where are these people located? This map shows counties around the country that have a GDP that is over $100 billion. Not too shabby.
Counties With A GDP Over $100 Billion
Land Use Illustrated
Another interesting way to think of how the country is divided up is by actual land use. This map shows exactly how every area of land is how and for what. Who knew that the largest amount of land was used for cow pastures?
Land Use Illustrated
Where To Find Flamingos In Nature
Who does’t love flamingos and their incredible pink feathers? So where can you find these magical birds around the world? This map shows the areas where flamingoes are found in nature. Of course, you can probably find some at your local zoo as well.
Where To Find Flamingos In Nature
Montana In Mongolia
While Montana is considered to be a pretty large state, it’s hard to know how it compares to other places. Here we can see that Montana snugly fits into Mongolia with plenty of space to spare. It’s all about perspective, and this helps us see that.
Montana In Mongolia
Peninsula Vs. Peninsula
Did you know that both Florida and Italy are peninsulas? This means that both places are surrounded by water by a majority of their borders and are connected to a mainland as well. So which peninsula is better? That’s up to you to decide.
Peninsula Vs. Peninsula
Nevada In Iran
So just how big is the state of Nevada? The state that’s home to Las Vegas is pretty big, but as we can see in this map, it doesn’t really compare in size to Iran. However, there are plenty of other entire countries in the area that are much smaller than the state of Nevada, like Jordan and Israel.
Nevada In Iran
California Vs. Italy
California is a massive state that could really be its own country. No wonder it’s worth 55 electoral votes! When superimposed onto a map of Italy, we can see that while it is the same length, it is much wider than the European country.
California Vs. Italy
Blue States Have A Smaller Population Than Los Angeles County
This might be really shocking, but believe it or not, all of the states marked in blue have a combined population that is smaller than the population of just Los Angeles County. Yes, it’s absolutely wild, but it is true.
Blue States Have A Smaller Population Than Los Angeles County
2,066 Americans Asked To Locate Ukraine On A Blank Map
When 2066 Americans were asked to locate where Ukraine is located on a map, this was the result. Many people were confused about whether Ukraine is part of the United States, and a whole lot of people thought Ukraine is in Africa. Maybe it’s time to bring back focus on Geography class.
2,066 Americans Asked To Locate Ukraine On A Blank Map
Worldwide Super Bowl Champs
Americans are known for their love of football, and that is American, pig-skin football. This map of the entire globe gives a visual representation of all the countries that have won the NFL Super Bowl…and surprisingly, it’s just one country. It’s also the one country that’s involved in the Super Bowl.
Worldwide Super Bowl Champs
New Zealand In The Midwest
So we know that Australia is absolutely massive, but what about its neighbor, New Zealand? Although many Americans conflate the two, they’re totally separate places and they are also completely different sizes. Here’s a comparison of all of New Zealand compared to the United States.
New Zealand In The Midwest
A Trick for Finding Kentucky
Kentucky is knowns for KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Do you ever find you struggle to remember where it is on the map? This illustration of a chef holding some fried chicken is here to help. It’s made up of the states bordering Kentucky, and of course Kentucky itself is represented by the iconic fried chicken its known for.
A Trick For Finding Kentucky
Greenland Vs. South America
It really is hard to wrap the head around just how large some land masses are. That’s why it’s always good to compare so that you can get a better sense of things. Here’s what Greenland looks like when it’s next to South America. As we can see, Brazil is pretty massive.
Greenland Vs. South America
Texas In Africa
Everything is bigger in Texas, since it’s one of the largest states in the United States. However, it is eclipsed by many countries found in Africa. Just take a look of how small it looks compared to the countries there.
Texas In Africa
Each Line Is From Shipping Logs In 1945
Shipping is one of the most important industries around the world, and has been for many years now. Here we can see a visual representation of shipping lines around the globe in 1945. We really are interconnected.
Each Line Is From Shipping Logs In 1945
United States Vs. India
India has one of the largest populations in the world, with 1.33 billion people living there. The United States has a population of 328.2, and is much larger than India, which is pretty crazy to think about. That’s a whole lot of people for one country.
United States Vs. India
United States Vs. China
Speaking of which, China is the world’s most populous country, with 1.39 billion people living there. However, unlike India, China is just as big as the United States. However, with a population that’s over 3 times the size of the US, we wonder how that’s working out over there.
United States Vs. China
Africa Is Massive
A lot of people don’t realize just how huge the continent of Africa actually is. We know that the United States is a huge place, but take a look at a map of the US contained inside of Africa. There’s really just no comparison. It’s nearly three times the size of the US!
Africa Is Massive
Regions That Do Not Officially Celebrate Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a controversial day to celebrate, as many people believe Christopher Columbus should not be celebrated. In many areas around the country, Indigenous People’s Day is celebrated instead. Here we can see the places where this is official, with states marked in yellow.
Regions That Do Not Officially Celebrate Columbus Day
Countries That Executed People Over 12 Months In 2015-16
This is a pretty grim one. This map shows countries where people were executed in the years 2015-2016. In some cases, executions are justified, but there are also many places where this is done unfairly.
Countries That Executed People Over 12 Months In 2015 16