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Since the last time we wrote about Terrible Maps, a project that is dedicated to sharing maps no one asked for or needs, they've kept themselves rather busy. So it's only natural we created a follow-up article about the cartographers who are so bad, they're actually good. After all, what is the Internet for if not to poke fun at politics and our geographical illiteracy?

From hilarious guides on how to find the state of Kentucky to showing how many Switzerlands fit in Brazil, continue scrolling and check out these gems and tell us which one would you hang on your office wall!

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OK. We can clearly see these are bad maps. But how to know you're looking at a good one? Brant Scheidecker, a sales engineer at Cartegraph, highlighted some of the main essentials for accurate and easily interpretable map use.

"Every map should have a title. It allows the user to assess the purpose of the map quickly; allowing them to determine if it meets their needs," Scheidecker wrote.

Next, origin. A fancy name for a compass or the North arrow. "This allows the user to determine the maps reference to the earth. While most maps these days have North being straight up, occasionally you will encounter a map that has a skewed orientation, perhaps to better fit it on the physical medium it's presented on (i.e. paper), or simply because it’s easier to interact with the map in that orientation."

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Aaron W
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dammit, I'm going to see this every time I look at a US map now. Thanks, Bored Panda.

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When it comes to the source, it's a two-fold element. "It allows the map maker to provide the map viewer an idea where the data the map is representing is from; a necessity in determining the accuracy of a map. It also allows the map maker a way to cite the source of their data, avoiding all those pesky cries of plagiarism and the ensuing lawsuits," Scheidecker explained. "You have better uses for your time, like ensuring the rest of the T.O.S.S.L.A.D. elements are on your maps."

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Let's not forget the legend (the area where a user can determine what a particular color or symbol represents on the map). "Without a legend, a user cannot successfully interpret what your map is trying to represent, 'Does the red skull and crossbones over my favorite restaurant mean what I think it means?'"

You should also know when was the map that you're analyzing made. If it was created in 1962 and shows commuter levels in Chicago—it might not be such a valid source for the traffic data you are looking for today, unless you are feeling nostalgic, Scheidecker joked.

There you have it. You may now have become a cartographic genius, but you should be able to tell if you're looking at a terrible map or not!

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Kesam
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm an immigrant in "aesthetically tasteless" country and I totally agree! :D

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Kesam
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always knew Brazilians are brainy. (But wait, what does that make northwestern Canada??)

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Shelp
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Belgium imports a lot of electricity from France. I wouldn't be surprised if this particular power plant mainly produced electricity for the Belgian market

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karla Meixnerová
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No surprise, if the person with this opinion is a believer, that the Earth is flat...

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Rabbit Carrot
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nah. We see a giant a*s bible for most of those middle states. Oh and guns. Lots and lots of guns.

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Tabitha L
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right now, there is a lot of talk about the swing states in the election. So states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Virginia are getting a fair amount of attention in their own right.

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Martti Laurson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Europeans are not so dumb in geography. They actually know one or two things about other countries.

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Just JoLynn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most people in the US don't think it's the only country ffs. Just because idiocracy runs rampant on the internet doesn't mean it's an accurate representation of any group of people. Get off your high horse and find the humor in these which is what they're meant for.

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Sancho Cruz
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol bout' right.. I was in California and folks were like "oh cool Kansas! You guys are still riding horses and fighting Indians?" For a minute I thought it was a joke thinking they were getting giggles at my expense" then one asked if all of towns had electricity and plumbing.. they were young and quite serious. Some people are really that ignorant. I want to say stupid but it wouldn't be correct in terms that they still have no idea how the world actually works .

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Sandra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would like to protest as well. Thats not corect as most people do know at least a couple of states ( or more)

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Gary Townshend
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

America as seen by Texans, if you count California and New York as foreign states, as in different countries.

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meepmeep
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think the map is a joke on Europeans, I think it's a joke on America that our craziness just meshes altogether into a giant "Texas"

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Annette Cerreta
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate to say it, but after living in California for the past five years, we might have to lump it in with the red states now.

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John Baker
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

California has always leaned heavily red in small towns and rural areas, to the point where it was considered newsworthy when Orange County went blue in the midterms. Face it, no honest to God blue state would have ever elected Ronald Reagan governor.

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Freya_is_bored
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean we know there are others places. I had to do a test on US states in year 8!

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Sill Marien
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm fairly certain I would name more states than most muricans could name countries ;p

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Nikos Papakonstandinou
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, you see many of us know where Florida is and also that "Florida man" is considered a sort of insult, so you need to add that too.

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Meami
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm pretty sure most Europeans are smarter than that...

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Jane W.
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Within the US, we think our own state covers half the country, with some vague "other places" out there.

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Mumof1
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No we don't see it like this at all. In fact we try NOT to see it

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Marcia Cash
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the past, if being an American wasn't cool, we could always say we were Texans. But no more.

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Johnny
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And Europeans see the USA as a much smaller country, I worked at a car rental agency on the east coast, and rented a car for a week to some European Tourists, and they planned to go visit California. When I said it would take them a week just to drive there, then they said "Well Florida is on this coast and is much closer, right? We'll just go there", and were astounded when I told them it would take them nearly 20 hours of driving. They were used to crossing several country borders in a half day's drive.

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Kelly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Europe is a Continent. It's more correct to compare America, not only the USA, with Europe.

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Em Wal
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Add in Florida and you have the entirety of my Austrian students' US Geography knowledge

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Raphael Biock
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, were not that silly. We know that florida exists, too and together it is four states. Easy to know.

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Gibberint Dark
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope... Americans try to brag to Europeans that the size California, Texas and New York are that big...!!

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Just another bot
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the said Europeans never went to school....or studied geography, or read any American-based literature, or watched any movies set in USA... maybe?

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Red Hair Blue Soul
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, don't be fooled. The guns are almost everywhere here. I'm ashamed of my country.

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Katherine Heasley
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, California wishes! (Texas, too, for that matter. NY doesn't see anything wrong with their part of the map.)

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Laugh or not
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Excuse me? My generation had to learn about US geography, as one of the leading countries in the world (along with geography of the EU countries and Soviet Union/Russia). I guess now it has changed to China.

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meepmeep
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sorry you had to learn US geography. In the US, we were barely taught US geography, let alone the geography of any other country

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Kelly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Europe is a continent, therefore this map is fake and only terrible. Ignorance has no limits.

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Julie BT 120
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How the world really sees a map of America: cowboys(Texas and other texas), alligators(Florida), corn(the middle), cheese(the other middle), Hollywood (left side), NY Yankees (the right side)

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Tiny Dynamine
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Considering we never stop hearing about everything that goes on there, this is far from true.

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Nothanks L. Walk
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Naaaaaaah new york's not that big. Plus there's queertown with that breakout-proof prison three people broke out of sometime after your unsinkable ship sank.

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JuJu
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3 years ago

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Yee-haw with guns, unsweetet tea drinking bible thumpers, what the heck is even there, VIPs without knickers, human zoo, Steven King's landing.

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Sadie Shapiro
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i don't even want to try saying that one. you know which one I'm talking about.

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Jayne Kyra
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

According to my dots in MS Paint over each: 132. Might be wrong, but I am not doing it again. EDIT: Did it again and Beto River is right, I missed 10 at some point. Thank you Beto!

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Oathbraker
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand mistaking it with Iraq or Afghanistan, but how the f**k did they go to Africa and the Balkans? A couple are even in the UK, for crying out loud.

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Note: this post originally had 150 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.