Fascinating Friday: 80 Maps That Explain Everything

The battle over who can present the most compelling infographical maps is apparently escalating. The good news, no matter the result, we all win. While these 80 maps may not explain everything, they sure do say a lot.

1 minute read

August 16, 2013, 2:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


A few months ago, BuzzFeed put together a collection of 38 fascinating "maps you never knew you needed." Earlier this month, Bored Panda assembled its own list (some overlapping with Buzzfeed), of "40 maps they didn’t teach you in school."

Not to be outdone, The Washington Post's WorldViews blog took up the challenge. "Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to," writes The Post's Max Fisher. "So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled '40 maps they didn’t teach you in school,' one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they’re no less fascinating and easily understandable."

Enjoy exploring such treasures as the "red hair map of Europe", "the world according to Americans", and "the best and worst places to be born".

Thursday, August 1, 2013 in Bored Panda

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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