Today any of us can go Athens, a city with flavorful food, pleasant weather, a picturesque setting, reasonable prices, and a decent subway system. That is to say, we can enjoy Athens as it is, but what about Athens as it was? As one of the oldest cities…
Year: 2020
Does Tristan da Cunha have the world’s weirdest place names?
Tristan da Cunha is the world’s most isolated inhabited island It also has some of the world’s weirdest place names Is there a link? Maybe, if we stretch Darwin’s theory from biology to topography Thriving in isolation As Darwin predic…
The shocking, forgotten history of cretinism
Until about a century ago, ‘cretinism’ was endemic throughout large parts of the Alps. Sufferers often had a visibly enlarged thyroid gland, and in the worst cases were severely retarded. Although ‘goiter belts’ in North America …
The shocking, forgotten history of cretinism
Until about a century ago, ‘cretinism’ was endemic throughout large parts of the Alps. Sufferers often had a visibly enlarged thyroid gland, and in the worst cases were severely retarded. Although ‘goiter belts’ in North America …
Why Trump’s Palestine map is important
Trump’s Middle East plan is the first U.S. proposal to contain a map of a two-state solution. Considering Israel’s close involvement, this map represents a Palestine ‘Israel can live with’. But Palestinians are unlikely to agree …
Can’t find the Middle East on a map? Here’s why
If the Middle East is easier to find in the news than on the map, there’s a good reason for that. The term is a fairly recent invention, with myriad definitions and applications. In some versions, it extends further west that Ireland, and as far n…
The joy of French, in a dozen maps
Isogloss maps show what most cartography doesn’t: the diversity of language. This baker’s dozen charts the richness and humour of French. France is more than French alone: There’s Breton and German, too – and more. Most maps show phy…
‘Charcoal Australia’: This viral image isn’t the full story
A viral photo shows Australia smoldering like a piece of charcoal about to ignite. The composite image shows all fires over an entire month, which is not the same as all fires raging at the same time. That’s not to say the devastation isn’t …
One map to translate them all
Google lets you translate text into one language at a time. This translator shows you one word in all languages – on one handy map. It’s simple, instructive, and fun (a.k.a. móka, Spaß and zábava). Whose booze? The optimist expects the best, …
Cyclist draws festive reindeer on map of London
Anthony Hoyte practises ‘Strava art’ – he uses the fitness app to draw pictures on maps. Two years ago, he started drawing festive images for the Christmas season. This year’s effort, a giant reindeer sprawled across London, took 9 h…
The utopian 1920s scheme for five global superstates
Unity is strength: This 1920s map divides the world among just five superstates. The map was produced by count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, who devoted his life to European unity. This utopian map may have inspired George Orwell’s dystopian wor…
‘Squeaky Curtain’ divides Europe’s Eastern and Western mice
The house mouse diverged into two subspecies depending on which humans they followed. The Western and Eastern European house mice can interbreed, but the results are, well, mixed. The continent remains divided between Eastern and Western mice except for…
Gravity is not uniform. It varies geographically.
The law of gravity may be universal, gravity itself varies considerably across the earth. Most factors can be mathematically accounted for; local geology is the odd one out. Bouguer gravity anomaly maps like these show regional gravitational variation. …
Two-thirds of U.S. students attend diverse schools
In 2020, there will be more children of color than white children in the U.S. These maps indicate how racial diversity is changing the demographics of America’s schools Diversity has massively increased, but more so in the south and on the coasts …
These 9 U.S. biodiversity hotspots urgently need protection
Biodiversity is essential for ecosystems – and humanity – to survive These maps show the diversity of biodiversity itself: the hotspots are all over the place Compounding U.S. biodiversity data produces a list of 9 ‘Recommended Priority Areas&…
‘The West’ is, in fact, the world’s biggest gated community
Trump’s border wall is only one puzzle piece of a global picture. Similar anxieties are raising similar border defenses elsewhere. This map shows how, as a result, “the West” is in fact one large gated community. World-wide fence This …
Greater Adria, a lost continent hiding in plain sight
Following a 10-year survey, geologists discover a lost continent in the Mediterranean. ‘Greater Adria’ existed for 100 million years, and was probably “great for scuba diving”. Most of it has been swallowed up by Earth’s ma…
Behold Sicily’s Mount Etna — its volcanic summit is the world’s only decipoint
For millennia, Etna has been Europe’s most active volcano. The Sicilian mountain is also the world’s only decipoint. Ten municipalities meet at its summit — at least on a map. Geological hotspot Mount Etna, in eastern Sicily, almost never …
7 Russian museums that uploaded huge collections online
One of the biggest and most famous museums in the world is impossible to tackle in one visit, even if you spend the whole day there. So, instead of trying to, take a “walk” down its seemingly endless halls step by step with the Google Art project gu…
Peter’s Café Sport: The Post Office in The Middle of The Atlantic
The Azores in the North Atlantic is one of the most remote archipelago in the world. Situated about 1,500 km from the west coast of Portugal, their location almost mid-way between North America and Europe, makes them an ideal stopover for yachts crossin…