30 Unusual Maps That Might Change How You See The World, As Shared On This Instagram Account
Interview With Artist
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.
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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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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.
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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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.”
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What is the secret the netherlands hold when it comes to good sleep?
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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
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.”
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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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Is it really the flag of USA? I would like to know who they get this results
They combine income per capita, literacy rates, and life expectancy.
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How is USA is in this category? Do you know how much we pay for education and health care?
Atleast it's there to be paid for, some countries don't have it even if you had the dash to pay
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The US flag is only on there if you're White, Christian, straight, rich, and not sick.
That’s sad that you feel that way. My family is Black and we love it here in the United States. There are many opportunities to succeed here. It may not be perfect, but no country is perfect. I work hard and have a great life here. I am grateful.
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Here's a source - with rankings: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/quality-of-life
This is why so many are willing to leave their homes and start fresh in the USA.
Who did this poll? The average population? In Canada there is a lot of discrimination against indigenous and poc.
I can’t believe that a country with out a proper healthcare system has a particularly good quality of life for most of the population
Here you go...why they chose us: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/united-states
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All the people complaining about the U.S have never set foot in another country. I say we ship them all to Afghanistan (or any country with an actaul low quality of life) and see if they change their minds.
bp readers freaking out when they see the us flag. *they dont know how good the us actually is*
Yeah its great here!!! If you have money and insurance. If not..ur F****D
Despite the political shitstorm, rampant white christian supremascist nationalism, a national healthcare system that can send you into crippling debt, the chronic racially motivated homelessness and endemic poverty . . .America is still classed as a first world nation. Its an absolute cluster**** of systemic racism, white nationalism, screeching christians bleating about persecution because they arent allowed to hate icky gay people and tell women what they can and cant do with their own bodies and a cautionary tale about allowing too much autonomy ( if you want it to work, you need to CONTROL IT up to a certain point) and what happens when you give up compassion for money . . . .yeah, you can, if you squint, say that America is still and functioning first world nation but no longer the shining beacon it used to be.
This is average. If you live in the north of England the government ignores you in favour of the south.
Germany is so nice though I went and it is the nicest place i’ve ever been.
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Americans don't know how lucky they are. ofc America isn't perfect but most ppl have clean running water, food, education and lack of war.
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WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE MY COUNTRY!?!?! YOU GUYS ARE JUST JEALOUS OF THE US
We really aren't jealous. Sorry. The US is officially a Flawed Democracy and if you look at various different rankings for things like Freedom etc - you're not great. I don't hate the US but I certainly don't want to live there.
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Lots of questions as to why the USA is on the above map. The two following sources rank the USA at 20th place, and at 17th place. Considering that there are 15 flags on the map, it looks like the USA shouldn't be there. Sources: https://www.worlddata.info/quality-of-life.php ----- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index
USA... don't really agree with that considering I've lived here my entire life
How the hell did the United States make this list with the ridiculous cost of higher education (University) and healthcare system?
REALLY USA!?!? I live in The U.S and a lot of people here are NOT HEALTHY AT ALL!!!!!
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/united-states
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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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Now do one comparing those figures with the average salary and see the map change. *Cries in Spain*
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I think the countries colored black have it RIGHT YO! And I'm American!
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Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I feel many of those maps are inaccurate or partial. It would be much better with their sources.
same. Most of these are based on polls on reddit. 5 people reply - "condiment of choice with fries". Yeah sure, those are not even sold together with fries, but whatevah.
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Aotearoa doesn't appear on many, and where it's present it's in the wrong place. Not sure of this geographer...
I skip reading through after couple of maps since it seems inaccurate or false
I feel many of those maps are inaccurate or partial. It would be much better with their sources.
same. Most of these are based on polls on reddit. 5 people reply - "condiment of choice with fries". Yeah sure, those are not even sold together with fries, but whatevah.
Load More Replies... Aotearoa doesn't appear on many, and where it's present it's in the wrong place. Not sure of this geographer...
I skip reading through after couple of maps since it seems inaccurate or false
