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You’d be surprised how many map enthusiasts there are, if you’re not already one of them. And to those who think that cartography is a legacy from an ancient world, let me tell you, it’s exactly the opposite.

Think of it as a mode of information telling, quite like story-telling, but with its own subtle rules and features. Today, maps can tell us all kinds of miscellaneous things you had no clue existed and the “Lover Of Geography” Instagram page is a perfect online source for that. Followed by 58.3k followers, the page is dedicated to sharing “high quality posts about interesting topics.” They also promise “you won't get bored here,” and they deliver.

Below we collected some of the most entertaining entries from the page, so scroll down and upvote your favorites as you go. After you’re done, make sure to check out our previous posts with unusual maps that may change how you see the world here, here and here.

#1

This Post Shows What Traditional Houses Look Like In Different Countries

This Post Shows What Traditional Houses Look Like In Different Countries

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#2

This Post Shows Some Cities From Different Countries From Above

This Post Shows Some Cities From Different Countries From Above

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#3

This Post Shows The Legal Status Of Homosexuality Around The World In 2022

This Post Shows The Legal Status Of Homosexuality Around The World In 2022

loverofgeography Report

To find out more about the creator behind the Lover Of Geography Instagram page, Bored Panda reached out to 20-year-old content creator from the Netherlands Melih Orkun Köksal, also known by his Instagram handle @melykoksal. Melih told us that he started this page in December 2019 when he was only 17 years old. “I currently study Earth Sciences at the College of Rotterdam. Other than geography my hobbies are going to the gym and hanging out with friends, not very different from a normal 20-year-old,” he said.

When asked about his interest in cartography, Melih told us that this fascination began in his childhood. “As a little kid as young as 5 years old, I always had a little bit of passion for world maps or countries. I had a huge world map in my room. Every day when I came back home from school I kept staring at the world map in my room because of how fascinating it was to me while most other kids just wouldn't care. I was playing games with myself trying to find all the countries and cities on the map. Or I played geography games on my PC after school.”

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#4

This Post Shows Which One Was Searched More In 2021 In Each Country

This Post Shows Which One Was Searched More In 2021 In Each Country

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#5

This Post Shows Which Country Europeans Think Has On Average The Most Attractive Citizens. Based On Polls On 1000 People Per Country

This Post Shows Which Country Europeans Think Has On Average The Most Attractive Citizens. Based On Polls On 1000 People Per Country

loverofgeography Report

#6

This Post Shows The Countries That Have Taken "Eat The Rich" Very Seriously

This Post Shows The Countries That Have Taken "Eat The Rich" Very Seriously

In 1672 The Dutch crowds did what crowds do best, namely lose all semblance of sense or sanity. The prime minister of the country was stripped naked, mutilated, and according to some reports, had their livers removed and eaten by the crowds. “C’est la vie, c’est la guerre,” as the French say.

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Moreover, the creator of the Lover Of Geography page recounted that he always wanted to know where the countries are located as a child. “I often asked my parents questions like 'Dad, where is this country located' because I was simply so interested in locations. My parents would notice this weird obsession and in a matter of time, when I was 6 years old, I knew all countries and their capital cities,” he said. Throughout his childhood, Melih said, his knowledge of maps grew “so much to the point that teachers in elementary school or my own parents had to ask me for extra information when we were going on vacation to a different country. Kids in school I was asked me to help them with their geography assignments.”

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#8

This Post Shows What The French Language Sounds Like According To Europeans Based On A Pollhow Is The Test Done

This Post Shows What The French Language Sounds Like According To Europeans Based On A Pollhow Is The Test Done

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Caro Caro
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Annoying hahaha. Sometimes it is because the French talk fast. pffft I have to give them a time-out sign sometimes.

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#9

This Post Shows Where Americans Pressed

This Post Shows Where Americans Pressed

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Nathaniel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's not too bad. I can imagine a survey amongst us Britishers would show a similar result.

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Years later, when Melih was 16 or 17, he saw all these mappers on Instagram and he thought he could do that too, but better. So he wanted a page to share his “own map style and not just stolen maps from Reddit. I wanted to entertain people and educate them at the same time by making maps more fun.”

Recently, Melih has noticed maps popping up everywhere online since 2016. He believes that now younger folks are being targeted with cartography.“I am trying to select maps people will look at without just scrolling. It needs to be interesting and fun but it also needs to be based on reliable sources. So I try to share maps with the combination of these 2 things, the maps that are fun and come from reliable sources.”

#10

This Post Shows The Countries That Are The Opposite Of Each Other When It Comes To Random Aspects In 2021

This Post Shows The Countries That Are The Opposite Of Each Other When It Comes To Random Aspects In 2021

loverofgeography Report

#11

This Post Shows Some Controversial Statistic In Europe And It's Surrounding Areas

This Post Shows Some Controversial Statistic In Europe And It's Surrounding Areas

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Jo Choto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm more shocked by the fact that Iceland has made it's way in between France and Spain.

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#12

This Post Shows The Conflict Between Ukraine And Russia Which We Of Course All Have Heard About Recently

This Post Shows The Conflict Between Ukraine And Russia Which We Of Course All Have Heard About Recently

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Krisztina Kóti
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hungary is not absolutely correct. Yet. We, Hungarians think that Viktor Orban actually supports Putin, that's why he acts like that, but he still wants to get money from EU. We hope this will change in 2 days finally, because Hungarian people stand with Ukraine <3

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Melih also added that sometimes he uses hot topics to gain more audience, “For example, during the World Cup, I made more football-related posts.”When asked whether he ever experiments with the design and style of his maps, Melih said that he indeed has done multiple experiments with the design but he prefers to stick with one style. “So my page will be more recognizable as if it's my own brand,” he said and added that “I tend to go for a minimalist look because it's easier to look at and understand what's going on on the map.”

#13

This Post Shows What Was Searched More In 2021

This Post Shows What Was Searched More In 2021

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Ladies and Gentlemen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pardon me but i had to google search what is Hentai, now I regret it. Dont do it if you are at office or a public place.

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#14

This Post Shows The Countries That Are The Most Willing To Fight For Their Own Country In A War

This Post Shows The Countries That Are The Most Willing To Fight For Their Own Country In A War

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Jo Choto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All we need is for everyone to refuse to fight and suddenly all those old men in comfortable rooms somewhere will not be able to destroy other lives.

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#15

This Post Shows The Average Age Women Get Married In Europe. Based On Data From 2019-2021

This Post Shows The Average Age Women Get Married In Europe. Based On Data From 2019-2021

loverofgeography Report

#16

This Post Shows The Countries With The Highest Quality Of Life In 2021

This Post Shows The Countries With The Highest Quality Of Life In 2021

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Max Cloarec
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is it really the flag of USA? I would like to know who they get this results

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#17

This Post Shows The Scariest Things In European Countries Obviously It's Not Meant To Be Taken Serious

This Post Shows The Scariest Things In European Countries Obviously It's Not Meant To Be Taken Serious

loverofgeography Report

#18

This Post Shows Which Countries Europeans Joke The Most About. The Flag On The Country Shows The Country They Joke The Most About

This Post Shows Which Countries Europeans Joke The Most About. The Flag On The Country Shows The Country They Joke The Most About

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User# 6
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So Italians joke about... Italians? Interesting. Also, slightly odd Scottish enclave in Hungary... what did the Scots do to them?

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Nizumi
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Italians are the original dysfunctional family: They can make fun of themselves, but heaven help anyone who makes of them. :)

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Alexander
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a german I know not a single joke about poland But Jokes about France like "why is the eiffel tower that high? - So you can see the white flag there even from berlin" are pretty common I would assume there are many similar german-jokes in france since france an germany fought each other for hundrets of years before they became friends

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Laura Mende (Human)
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. Was ist ein Pole ohne Hände? Eine Vertrauensperson. 2. Ein kleines Teufelchen will klauen gehen. Erst kommt es nach Washington und klopft am Weißen Haus. Der Präsident macht auf und das Teufelchen sagt: "Ich bin das kleine Teufelchen mit dem goldenen Eimerchen und ich will hier klauen!" Sagt der Präsident: "Hau ab oder du kommst nach Guantanamo!" Dann geht das Teufelchen nach Moskau: "Ich bin das kleine Teufelchen mit dem goldenen Eimerchen und ich will hier klauen!" Sagt der Präsident: "Hau ab oder du kommst nach Sibirien!" Dann geht das Teufelchen nach Warschau: "Ich bin das kleine Teufelchen... Huch, wo ist den mein goldenes Eimerchen?!"

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Jon S.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Growing up in England, I heard quite a few 'dumb Irish paddy' jokes. Spending time in Iran, I heard those exact same jokes, only now aimed at Azerbaijan. I suspect different nations might be telling the same few jokes the world over, just with different counties as the butt.

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Jon S.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I should add, I haven't heard an Irish joke in several decades. They became very non-PC in the 90s. Even Guinness had to stop using Irish stereotypes in its marketing.

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Analyn Lahr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's that flag over Greece? And is anyone surprised about the British and Irish?

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RoseTheMad
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the flag of Albania... and honestly I've heard more jokes about the French in the UK than I ever have about the Irish.

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Lola
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So they basically make fun of their neighboring country?

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Cafesinner
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Sweden we have a whole humour category called Norway jokes lol and they're all harmless silly ones about how dumb Norwegians are. Example: "Why do Norwegians crawl on the floor in the grocery store? They're looking for the low prices"

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Big Blue Cat
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol! A Finn, Swede, Norwegian, British and American are in a plane. Suddenly the plane starts to shake and the pilot shouts, we need to lighten the load. Someone needs to jump. The British shouts: "for the Queen" and jumps. Pilot says it's not enough, someone else must go. American jumps and shouts "for Uncle Sam". Not enough says the pilot, one more must go. Norwegian and Finn glance eachother, shout "for Nordic cooperation" and throw the Swede out of the plane.

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Areion Stefanidis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jokes about a stereotypical Scots used to be popular in Greece as well. As a stereotype of scrooge person:

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Sara Diogo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not true for Portugal. We joke about people from south Portugal, "alentejanos".

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Potato Puffin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm Scottish and have a Hungarian friend. I'm hurt she never told me lol

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Kateřina Lužná
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm Czech and yes, this was so correct, but lately good old jokes about Russians came back.

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Londo Cotto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a Brexit thing im guessing . . . . . understandably, Europeans are laughing themselves breathless over the idiocy of Brexit. . . . . .

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Lady Goldberry
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I refuse to believe England isn't the butt of most jokes. Well, jokes that aren't about the States, anyway.

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Vicky Zar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can confirm that Germans joke about Poles. At least that was the case in my youth. I was born in Poland, but raised in Germany. You can imagine how I know this

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François Carré
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every neighbour of Bosnians makes fun of them, but they prefer to ignore it and make fun of Germans instead.

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KLo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, WHAT? I thought America came in number one in the laughing stock, the minute they selected orange clown Trump as president. The map is mislabeled, or they already forgot about him- good we'll keep it that way. As long as that bastard doesn't get re-elected.

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Visnja P. Hrabal
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do you expect Europeans should center the US in their lives? You are not as important as you think you are. Nobody cares.

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Harris Good
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Poor sweden its the unpopular kid in the scandinavia group 😭

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Susan Williams
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought the US would still have been the butt of many jokes as it used to be when trump was potus.

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Val
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the Flemish part of Belgium: the Netherlands.

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Simule F
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that Czech Republic jokes about Slovakia and Slovakia jokes about Czech Republic.... I mean they are not wrong with this one :D

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Lenka Čábalová
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Czech joke about Slovaks... Do we really...? Honestly I cannot think of a single joke specifically about Slovakia. I think it's mostly Russia we joke about.

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Amelia Kathleen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmmm, in my experience Italians LOVE to joke about the Germans, their fashion in particular.

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J. B.
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People typically make the most jokes about their closest or largest neighbour. A really weird exception is the Hungarians making fun of the Scots. 🤔🙄

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Isidien Gudmundsdottir
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Huh? After all these decades the Dutch still make jokes about the Belgians? They really must love their fries still.

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europaleta
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love the fact that Czechia and Slovakia are reciprocal 🤣

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J. F.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know more jokes about France than about Poland to be honest (german)

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Twodogsandapicnictable
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

From most the posts I see on this site, I'd have guessed they were all making fun of Americans all the time.

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Phara from Flanders
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Belgium is only based on wallonia I guess. Because the Flemish mainly joke about the Netherlands...

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Squirrelly Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I suspect it should be which European country do Europeans joke about? No American flags on that map. Or are we that pathetic that they feel sorry for us?

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AP
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought for sure the US would be on here at least between 2016-2020

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Lara Verne
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am from Czechia, and we also joke about Russians, Germans, Americans and English lords.

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vivioh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm shocked!!! With all the slamming I read in the comments about the USA, I expected to see several US flags. 0-0

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#19

This Post Shows What Traditional Breakfasts Around The World Typically Are Sweet vs. Salty

This Post Shows What Traditional Breakfasts Around The World Typically Are Sweet vs. Salty

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Martha Meyer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sweet breakfast seems to be only popular in countries that speak a Romance language.

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#20

This Post Shows Which Specific Group Faces The Most Discrimination In Different Countries In Europe

This Post Shows Which Specific Group Faces The Most Discrimination In Different Countries In Europe

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#21

This Post Shows The Estimated Percentage Of The Population Of Countries That Are Identified As An Atheist Or Agnostic

This Post Shows The Estimated Percentage Of The Population Of Countries That Are Identified As An Atheist Or Agnostic

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Hańka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Data out of date. Now there are 11% of atheists in Poland. https://ciekaweliczby.pl/kosciol_polityka_sondaz/

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#22

This Post Shows At What Age Europeans Leave Their Nest On Average In 2021

This Post Shows At What Age Europeans Leave Their Nest On Average In 2021

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#23

This Post Shows The Air Quality Of Europe In From Statistics Based On 2010-2021

This Post Shows The Air Quality Of Europe In From Statistics Based On 2010-2021

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#24

This Post Shows Countries That Have Never Reached 45 50 Or 55 Degrees

This Post Shows Countries That Have Never Reached 45 50 Or 55 Degrees

loverofgeography Report

#25

This Post Shows How Much Snow Does It Take For Schools To Be Cancelled Estimated

This Post Shows How Much Snow Does It Take For Schools To Be Cancelled Estimated

loverofgeography Report

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Gremlan jonnson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Haha they don't even need sweden on this map, I've never ever been excused from school or work due to snow, and we've definitely had worse than 40+ cm

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#26

This Post Shows The Sport People Do The Most For Fun Or Basically Is One The Most Popular Sports To Do In That Country (Football/Soccer Not Included) Otherwise This Would Be A Boring

This Post Shows The Sport People Do The Most For Fun Or Basically Is One The Most Popular Sports To Do In That Country (Football/Soccer Not Included) Otherwise This Would Be A Boring

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Nathaniel
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is daft, but I just imagined Ireland's sport was them facing each other and yelling "GAA!".

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#27

This Post Shows The Average Price In Euros Of The Monthly Rent Of A 1 Bedroom Apartment Located In The City Centre Of Each Capital City Of The Countries On This Map

This Post Shows The Average Price In Euros Of The Monthly Rent Of A 1 Bedroom Apartment Located In The City Centre Of Each Capital City Of The Countries On This Map

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Pittsburgh rare
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now do one comparing those figures with the average salary and see the map change. *Cries in Spain*

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#28

This Post Shows How People Around The World Prefer Their French Fries To Be Eaten

This Post Shows How People Around The World Prefer Their French Fries To Be Eaten

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#29

This Post Shows The Literal Meaning Of Country Names

This Post Shows The Literal Meaning Of Country Names

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kurisutofu
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What does that even mean? France is named that way because it was the"land of the Franks". Franks were the tribes that were there so long ago.

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#30

This Post Shows The Coldest Temperatures In Celsius That Have Ever Been Measured. Note That The Russian Temperature Was Measured In Siberia Asia

This Post Shows The Coldest Temperatures In Celsius That Have Ever Been Measured. Note That The Russian Temperature Was Measured In Siberia Asia

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Jo Choto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm fine with C and F, until it gets in the negatives, and then I really have no idea what C temps are.

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Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.