This month's coolest maps

EVERY MONTH, WE PUT TOGETHER A GALLERY of the coolest maps we saw on the internet. Interestingly, thanks to the huge amount of maps constantly coming onto the internet, a lot of sites have been publishing pieces on map literacy, and how to take the right information from maps without allowing yourself to get misled. The popular science site, I Fucking Love Science wrote about how the projection of maps alone can totally change your perception of the world. Because the world is round and maps are flat, mapmakers are forced to deal with distortions in either the size or distance of places on the planet. Even the orientation of the continents is arbitrary — there’s no reason, for example, that all maps should show Europe in the center, with the America son the left and Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania on the right. They could just as easily be the other way around.

At the same time, there’s no reason that north must be up and south must be down — this is merely convention. At the end of the gallery, we’ve included two videos showing the projection problem, one from Buzzfeed, demonstrating size problems in maps, and one from the awesome show The West Wing, in which geographers explain to a White House staffer the problems with map projections. In the meantime, here are some of the best maps of the month.

1

Favorite NFL jerseys by state

People are VERY loyal to their hometown QBs. Via Reddit

2

Countries with more people than Bangladesh

A very tiny, very crowded country. Via Reddit

3

Which countries are most urbanized?

Vatican City isn't in first because it has a garden. Via Reddit

Intermission


1K+
20 awesomely untranslatable words from around the world
by Jason Wire



221
The 20 coolest towns in the US
by Matador Team



5
27 awesome maps that will help you understand the world
by Matt Hershberger













4

How Americans die abroad

Many Americans travel abroad to kill themselves. Via Reddit

5

The most common jobs held by immigrants

Via Business Insider

6

The third most-spoken language in the U.S. (behind English and Spanish)

English and Spanish are the top two. Here's what third place is. Via Reddit

7

The world's schools of Islam

Beyond just Sunni and Shia. Via Wikimedia

8

Countries with a crescent moon flag

The crescent moon is a symbol of Islam. Via Reddit

9

Countries with a cross in the flag

At least ONE cross. Spain's is absurdly tiny. Via Reddit

Intermission


221
The 20 coolest towns in the US
by Matador Team



489
What bartenders actually think of your drink order
by Lisa Millar-Jones



4
23 maps that will teach you something new about the world
by Matt Hershberger













10

How many likes each country has on Facebook

Total likes on Facebook. Via Reddit

11

Facebook likes per capita for each country

Which countries have the most likes per capita. Via Reddit

12

Immigrants as a percentage of the population

This does not include refugees, and only refers to first generation immigrants. Via

13

Countries that have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

In case you're planning on committing any major crimes. Via Reddit

14

Hottest recorded temperatures

Where the heat is. Via Reddit

15

Coldest recorded temperature

Where the chill is. Via Reddit

Intermission


489
What bartenders actually think of your drink order
by Lisa Millar-Jones



188
12 differences between a normal friend and a Spanish friend
by Ana Bulnes



4
Awesome maps show how big the US is compared to the rest of the world
by Matt Hershberger













16

Percentage of slaves in the Southern states

This was the reach of slavery as of 1860. Via Reddit

17

Student poverty by school district

This map interestingly corresponds somewhat to the slavery map. Via Reddit

18

Where the Canadian crime is

Crimes reported to the police. Via Reddit

19

Each state's most popular creek name

There are a lot of Mill Creek's in the country.

20

A political map of the world from 50 BC

A very early political map. Via Reddit

21

The empires of Europe

The empires at their fullest extent. Via Reddit

22

World population in 2000 by latitude and longitude

The latitude and longitude that's the densest. Via Reddit

23

India's no-consent arranged marriages

Arranged marriage is common in India. Here's where no marriages are arranged without consent of the couple. Via Reddit

24

Countries that have been (and are) one party states

Blue refers to current one-party states. Via Reddit

25

Countries with a coastal capital

This map missed Iceland and Guyana. Via Reddit

26

The life expectancy ratio of males to females

Men are dying young in Russia. Via Reddit

27

Cigarette consumption by country

These numbers are from 2007. Via Reddit

28

What North America looked like before it was colonized

The many pre-Colombian nations. Via Reddit

29

The safest and most risky world debts

Based on who investors think is likely to default. Via Reddit

30

The percentage of people from European descent

Where people are largely of European descent (including Europe). Via Reddit

31

A decade of world migration (1995-2004)

From 1995 to 2004, this is where people went. Via Reddit.

32

Percentage of Europeans who are not religious but believe in some sort of life force

The statement that the non-religious respondents were asked to respond to for this map was "there is some sort of spirit of life force."

33

The effects of China's air pollution

China has terrible air pollution, and it has an effect on health. Via the Economist.

34

The movement of pre-colonial humans using Y-chromosomes

Y-chromosome dominance can be used to help determine the flow of people over time. Via Reddit

35

Worldwide prevalence of circumcision

There's a whole lot of circumcision in the U.S. Via Reddit

36

Where cancer happens most

A larger version of this map is available here. Via Imgur.

37

How many parties rule the country?

Which countries are ruled by the largest number of parties? Via Reddit

38

What Europe thinks the most useful languages to learn are

What members of European countries think the most useful language to learn is. Via Reddit

39

What Europe thinks the second most useful language is

English aside, here are the languages Europe wants to learn. Via Reddit

40

The world's most efficient healthcare systems

Not most expensive: most efficient. Via Reddit

41

Maximum speed limits in the U.S.

The country's maximum speed limits. Via Reddit

42

The 2015 Global Peace Index

The most peaceful places on earth. Via Reddit

43

Late 20s gender ratio by county

There's a lot of dudes in the U.S. Via Reddit

44

Pluto vs. Australia

THIS is why Pluto doesn't count as a planet. Via Reddit

45

Where the world's most endangered animals are

A larger version is available here.Via Signature African Safaris

46

The United States of Waffle House

Where the Waffle Houses are. Via Reddit

47

Where "fuck" is a popular curse word in the US

The edges of the country love their f-bombs. Via Reddit

This post wouldn’t even sort of be possible without the awesome MapPorn subReddit.