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."
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Map shows oldest buildings for each U.S. state – but also hints at what’s missing.
For a purely binary choice, wearing a ring either on the left or right hand can say a lot about the wearer.
First picture of worldwide bee distribution fills knowledge gaps and may help protect species.
The unfamiliar landscape of America’s medical past is marked by bizarre incidents, forgotten breakthroughs and selfless sacrifice.
Underperforming, the U.S. comes in only 157th out of 196 in global triangularity ranking.
1895 map of New York City shows ‘concrete socialism’ in red, ‘private enterprises’ in white.
‘Critical Tourist Map of Oslo’ offers uniquely dark perspective on Norway’s capital.
In this 1915 map, Lady Liberty shines her light in the West on women in the East, still in electoral darkness
Why not just divide the United States in slices of equal population?
India finishes last of 60 countries in environment and sustainability, as ranked by the expats who work there.
Interactive globe shows where your hometown was at various stages of Earth’s deep geological past.
Alexandre Dumas’ famous anecdote about Fake News in the 1800s has a surprising twist.
They came from different places and with different ideas, which still resonate today.
Remarkable ‘fan art’ commemorates 50th anniversary of legendary guitar player’s passing.
‘Kanal Istanbul’ would create a second Bosporus – and immortalize its creator.
Two Williams pioneered geological mapping in Britain and the United States – but the world only remembers one.
‘Battlefield maps’ show continent under attack from hostile invaders.
The Baltic nation rolls out an unlikely tourist attraction: 47 weird ice cream flavors.
A 71% wet Mars would have two major land masses and one giant ‘Medimartian Sea.’
Maps show the oldest company in (nearly) every country – and a few interesting corporate trends.
Victorians want to rectify 19th-century surveying error – and become South Australians.
Some intriguing examples of people grooming the land for the unseen observer above.
Two remarkable etymological maps show twin forces at work throughout human history.
Mapping the frequency of common toponyms opens window on Britain’s ‘deep history’.
Iranian Tolkien scholar finds intriguing parallels between subcontinental geography and famous map of Middle-earth.
Europe is divided on whether films should have subtitles or different audio tracks.
Can’t memorize all those elements? If you’re more into geography, perhaps this will help.
New book focuses on some of the world’s most peculiar borderlines.
Trump is #45 but Pence is #48 – and other strange consequences of the curious office of vice president.
To get a sense of faraway places, these ‘atlases’ let the locals give you their perspective.