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

.... Spain shouldnt be there.... Even for an italian, that's not accurate at all. There's some really tasty food in Spain.

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

Can agree on worsw food the farther north you go. But I feel Spain and Portugal are being unfairly badmouthed here.

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Loki’s Lil Butter Knife
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know the map is very tongue-in-cheek, but Spain and Portugal do have some amazing food. Lugo in Galicia, Spain was named one of the top culinary destinations in the entire world!

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chi-wei shen
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When talking about toxic food in Scandinavia the creator of this map surely thought about Surströmming, the Swedish sour herring.

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

Come on, the Middle East and Turkey have THE best food (both real and aesthetically pleasing)!

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

Portugal and Spain have amazing food, and much more divers than Italian cuisine.

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

As an spaniard I can confirm: we overcook pasta. I have an italian taste in pasta and my fellow spanish pasta its just... Puré.

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

um, china does not have fake pasta, italy has fake noodles xD remember guys, all y'all noodley foods originated in china.

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

Married to a Florentine Italian here... for 25 years I have heard over and over about the superiority of Italian food. While I agree, the produce is far beyond what we now get in Arizona (where we currently live) I am so sick of the food snobbery. It's not like I'm arguing otherwise! Lol this quarantine is driving me crazy

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

I live in 'caution is advised' germany, and even i agree to the map.

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

Okay China's food is actually awesome though. I'm biased but it's true.

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

I live in 'literally tasteless' where it seems every other restaurant is Italian. I'm just saying....

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

Sorry for the islamophobic people but dry pasta we know were invented by arabic people and then spread around their influence area, a lot of pasta we know were invented even before islam in Persia. And the first trace of pasta is from 1700 before Christ in middle east (Mesopotamia).

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

WHAT what pizza we have in america is fake!!??, welp i need to try italian pizza to confirm that.

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

Most countries have flatbread which tastes amazing and has olive oil, tomatoes, prosciutto, different cheeses like ricotta and fontina, etc. In north america we cranked up the bread levels and slapped a bunch of random meats on to call it our own. Even Australian pizza looks better

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Maurettis
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2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

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

based on Italians nothing against u guys but i actually like American food

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

Well, when you put olive oil on everything of course it's tasty!!

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

Funny how China is labelled 'Fake Pasta' when pasta comes from noodles used throughout Asia. They were brought back by Marco Polo.

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

According only to this Yanko Tsekov. Wrong title and fake news.

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

Portuguese cuisine is actually very similar to italian in many ways ("mediterranean diet"), so aesthetically and literally tasteless is an undeserved title :p

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

Very funny! But, check out this short travel video about the African nation of Eritrea, a former Italian colony. A young Italian couple are touring the country; the woman said the spaghetti and pizza are the best she'd ever had outside of Italy! 0:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svezgqe5fOA

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Grumble O'Pug
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I lived 5 years in the UK and if it weren't for the Indian, Fish &Chip, and Chinese restaurants it would have been so bland. I mean beans on toast as an actual meal. Fish sticks! Never again!

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

I like the Supersized Coffee parallel, and I'm glad I live above it :D

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

I live in Aesthetically tasteless region. But I am not sure if it is tasteless since I have never tasted Italian food in my region.

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

this is the perspective of someone who grew up in an Italian restaurant.(me)

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

From the perspective of the Chinese, pastas are fake noodles.

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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
Community Member
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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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.