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94 Informative Maps As Shared By This Page That Might Change Your Perspective On Things
The oldest maps out there are roughly 4000 years old, depicting a section of the river Odet valley in modern Finistère, Brittany. It was found in a tomb, possibly to communicate to people what its inhabitant “controlled.” The fact is that all through history, humans have been trying to make records of the world around them in interesting ways.
The “Simon shows you maps” Facebook page, run by the titular Simon, is dedicated to sharing cool and interesting maps. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the best ones and be sure to share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section down below.
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#2
For A While During The Northern Hemisphere’s Summer, The Sun Sets In Eastern Brazil Before It Does In Ireland. Now You Know
From the time our ancestors first marked lines in the dirt to stake out hunting ground or chart the changing seasons, mapping has been at the root of how we understand the world. Here's why we can't help but take data and turn it into multicolored maps overlaid on familiar landscapes:
Maps directly tap into our spatial intuition. When you see numbers or patterns overlaid on a geographical landscape, whether dots for earthquake epicenters or color-shaded countries by population density, the relationships pop out at you. Suddenly, what were once abstract statistics become something you can almost "see" and even "feel" in your mind's eye.
#5
Wait, this is a real thing? A cave deeper than 2000m? And people are crazy enough to go all the way down? Good lord! It’s a hard no from me. Happy to support mountaineers all the way to the top but caving is a big no no for your friendly armchair cartography enthusiast
#6
As A German, For A Personal Meeting 12 Means 12 But For A Professional Meeting 12 Means Be 5 Minutes Early. Any Alternative Interpretation Hurts My Little German Brain
A table or a sequence of bars will tell you "what," yet just a map can guide you through the "where" and "why." Think about a heat map of global coffee consumption: you instantly sense cultural hotspots in Scandinavia and Brazil. You can almost taste the latte in Oslo and the cafézinho in São Paulo. A map weaves narrative into bare facts, rendering facts an unforgettable experience.
#9
Almost one third of Russians are opposed to vaccines. The second ranked country is the world’s most advanced economy happily shooting itself not in the arm but in the foot. My birth country of Germany also has unnecessarily high opposition
Maps transcend borders, languages, and technojargon. Everyone, anywhere, no matter their background, understands a red‑to‑blue ramp for vote share or a constellation of icons for Wi‑Fi coverage. This universality is an asset for maps when communicating quickly, essential in a crisis, live news, or even executive briefings. Entire teams can be on the same page at a glance as to where to allocate resources.
#10
Young adults are dying at an increasing rate in the United States. France roughly mirrored the US before the introduction of Oxycontin in the mid-90s and later fentanyl. The US isn't doing a great job looking after its own people
#12
The Great Fire of London ragged in 1666. This fantastic map overlays the effected area on modern day London. Would be cool to walk the area to feel the extent
Humans are wired to detect patterns. A crowd‑sourced map of real‑time traffic flow makes rush‑hour bottlenecks stand out, and a map of deforestation reveals the spread of agriculture into rainforest. By layering different datasets, rainfall over crop yields, say, we become detectives, observing correlations and asking "What's happening here?" It's a powerful superpower for researchers, planners, and curious minds of all types.
Let's be real: well-designed maps are just plain fun to look at. Bright color schemes, swooping coastlines, and tidily arranged legends invite you to dive in. Cartographers often sneak in Easter eggs, a tiny sketch of a landmark, say, that rewards a closer look. Interactive web maps bring the fun to a whole new level, letting you zoom in from global overviews to street-level detail, toggle layers on and off, or watch animated shifts over time.
#18
Challenge: Which Definition, Which Terminology Doesn’t Offend Anyone? I’ve Found That Someone Will Always Be Mad
From emergency responders deciding where to send rescue teams, to retailers deciding where to open new outlets, maps are vital decision‑making aids. They help us allocate resources efficiently, assess risks, and plan for the future. Mapping epidemiological data during an epidemic, for instance, can quite literally save lives by revealing hotspots and guiding vaccination campaigns.
#19
This map of Ukrainian deep strike capability is astonishing. Drone warfare is so hard to defend against. Any country not heavily investing in defensive and offensive drone technology is simply naive.
#20
The Australian efforts towards tackling the public health issue that is smoking were super successful. Something the country should be proud of. Look at the huge number of ex smokers Australian policies created. Good stuff.
Above all, maps mirror the world and our choices back at us. They remind us why some places thrive and others struggle, how our actions remake the planet, and where injustices cluster. By mapping everything from literacy to air quality, we are faced with the issues that confront us, and can more readily imagine solutions.
#22
The classification of Germany in this map classifying the nature of most commonly used profanities across Europe is certainly correct. I would argue a whole category is missing here: family related profanities. Sure, they are often mixed with sexual insults but I thing they deserve their own category!
In short, mapping data turns the maze of numbers into a comprehensible cosmos. It is a synthesis of insight, storytelling, art, and strategy, no wonder we come back to maps time and again when we want to make sense of our complex, interrelated world.
#26
In A World Where More People Obsess About Their Work Being Inherently Meaningful, I Hope That You See Your Job Relatively Close To The Left Side Of The Chart
#27
In places like Germany, the full retirement of the huge Baby Boomer cohort will drive pension payments up significantly. The relatively small workforce will pay for that. Young workers will increasingly dislike that. Voting behaviour might shift further away from established parties as a result.
#29
Look Who Just Made It Into The Top 20 Of The World’s Largest Economies. Welcome To The Top, Poland
#30
I had never seen the US Baby Boom been visualized in this way. Rather cool visuals. The chart assumes Baby Boomers to be born between 1946 and 1964
#36
This map shows the status of coal power in Europe as of 2024. Coal is being phased out. Now it’s time to drive down energy costs. Crucial considering the continent wants to be competitive in high end manufacturing, needs big data centers, and wants at least a bit of supply chain sovereignty.
#38
Yet Another Map That Supports My Suspicion That Poland Is Europe’s Hottest Place To Be At The Moment. Cheaper Than Germany, On The Up Economically
#40
We are being shown how people in Slovakia reference other European nations in their idioms. Germans also use the stingy Scotsman stereotype
#41
The very low birth rates across Europe lock in future population decline now. The Mediterranean countries will be pretty empty. Well, except for the summer months when everyone still comes to Italy and co for a holiday.
#42
Holidaymakers In The Mediterranean Should Study This Map Carefully To Impress (Annoy?) Their Friends And Family With Island Related Geography Trivia!
#51
Now That European Ice Cream Season Is In Full Swing, This Map Seems Like Essential Knowledge
#56
A Government being excited about their own ideas is normal. This chart made me laugh though. The White House’s economic impact assessment of their Big Beautiful Bill is comically out of whack with all major economic forecasters.
#60
Just after you cross the Alps (🚗🚴🐘) into Italy, you enter the Italian Motor Valley. The funnest and fastest Italian engineering marvels are friendly neighbours here.
#63
Excess mortality in the EU during the Covid years was 12 per cent. This means we've seen 12 per cent more deaths than we would've statistically expected. The Swedish approach wasn't as lackadaisical as we make it out to be. Targeted protection of the elderly saw super high compliance. Sweden's Covid approach remains highly respected
#69
It’s Getting Warmer In Europe. In Case You Want To Travel Through Germany, This Map Might Be Of Use
#71
You Are Not Nostalgic About The 90s, 80s, Or 70s. You Are Nostalgic About Your Own Youth - Whenever That Was
#73
The wider the gap, the harder to find a partner. This should in turn further drive down birth rates. On top of this, the UK now has a reverse gender pay gap for young workers. Considering that women still prefer an equally or higher earning partner, birth rates should take yet another hit
#74
Share Of European Countries’ Population Living In The Capital City. Rome And Berlin Are Relatively Small Within Their Country - At Least When Compared To London, Paris, And Madrid
#76
With Italy and Japan we have two big economies where over a quarter of the population is aged 65+. Traditional models of aged care and state guaranteed retirement funding are about to collapse. Time to figure out new models. Younger nations have time and can copy successful approaches of the old nations (and dearly hope that they come up with something smart fast).
#77
This map categorizes European forests according to their use. Unmanaged forests are super rare. Finland and Sweden are timber plantations. France has created Landes de Gascogne, a match box forest on the Atlantic coast. Britain got rid of their forests altogether.
#80
Across Most Of The World, The Us Is Now Seen Less Favorably Than Just A Year Ago. The Exceptions Are Worth Noting: Israel, India, Nigeria, South Africa, And Turkey
#81
This chart shows what baby names peaked in each decade in the US. The postwar Larry boom is long gone, the Jennifer-hype of the 70s and 80s died down, but Oliver is still on the rise
#83
Share of the working age (25-64) population that holds at least a bachelor’s degree by country. In the 40% hold academic credentials. Super high considering the population size of the US and the extreme debt that people go into for degrees.
#84
16 countries are home to over 100 million people. 51% of countries officially recognized by the UN are smaller than 10 million residents. 36 countries are smaller than 1 million people.
#85
Sure, big parts of our healthcare systems are in need of reform but please keep in mind what wonderful progress medicine and pharmaceuticals have given humanity as a whole in the last 100-150 years.
#86
By now you would've read how New York City voted. Have you seen the clear geographic division of votes yet? Countless cities around the world are evenly geographically divided in their political leanings.
#89
This Map Shows The Radioactive Fallout In The Us From Nuclear Testing. The First Test, Trinity, In New Mexico Is Visible
#92
Wonderfully detailed map shows the Human Development Index across Europe. Concentration of development in Central Europe generally and within the big cities within each individual country
#93
Minor Correction: Skateboarding Seniors Are Cool As Heck And The Chart Should Point Up Again!
#94
Chinese Factories Would Get To Sell Heaps More American Flags Once The Us Take In Another State Or One State Defects
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