Maps That Show Us A New Perspective
Like a side-view mirror, sometimes on maps, things look bigger to us than they actually appear. Think about it; a world map shows Greenland as this giant landmass the size of South America when really it's quite tiny, comparatively speaking.
Then there is the Mongolian Empire, a massive region conquering of over nine million square miles. But what does that area look like on a map when compared to the rest of the world? Don't worry; these maps will shed light on the true scope of things and may even help you obtain a more worldly perspective.
Red Features A Total Population Greater Than The Gray
As you can clearly see by this map, Americans tend to favor the coastal states, considering the red areas represent a greater population than that of the gray area. With a vast majority of "red" being in southern California, it seems as though people flock to the west coast for the lifestyle: the promise of year-round summer.
Then, some favor the eastern seaboard, enjoying the lifestyles of New Englanders and the tri-state area. What we can conclude from the map is that the colder and more rural states aren't on the "move-to" list for many of the 328.2 million Americans.
New Zealand Is Very Small Compared To The United States
Since the United States is the fourth-largest country in the entire world, it's no surprise that when New Zealand is put on top of it, the island looks like a tiny blip in comparison. To put it in mathematical language, the US is estimated to be around 9,833,517 sq km, while New Zealand is about 268,838 sq km.
This makes the United States around 3,558 percent larger than the southwestern Pacific country of New Zealand! Thankfully, New Zealand isn't alone in its small area, being similar in size to the United Kingdom.
Greenland Looks Tiny Next To South America
If you're like us, then when you look at a world map, the territory of Greenland seems like it could overtake South America in terms of surface area. Well, we're here to tell you that is not the case, and this map should put their respective sizes into perspective.
Let's start with Greenland. The island has an area of 2,166,086 sq km, while the continent of South America comes in at a whopping 17,840,000 sq km. That, folks, tells us that South America is a solid 8.2 times larger than the northern territory.
Texas Doesn't Look All That Big Next Compared To Africa
While Texas is the second-largest state in the United States by area, right behind Alaska, it is nothing in comparison to the world's second-largest continent, Africa. Everything might be bigger in Texas, but when the state is dropped down on top of Africa, it looks about as big as one of the countries-- which is still impressive!
To put it in a bit of perspective for those who enjoy numbers, Africa has an area of 30,370,000 sq km, while Texas doesn't even break one million sq km, coming in at 676,587 sq km. This means Africa is 45 times larger than the state!
Light Pollution Throughout The Continental United States
If you're an outdoor lover who enjoys star gazing at night, we recommend venturing to middle and northwest America, where the light pollution is substantially less than the coastal states east of the Mississippi River. Sadly, according to a 2016 study, scientists estimate that around 80 percent of North Americans can't see the Milky Way.
But, as geographer Tim Wallace has mentioned, a majority of the states with random light output, such as North Dakota, are due to shale oil extractions and huge commercial buildings, such as airports and power stations.
Air Traffic Control Zones Look Nothing Like The Country
Interestingly, the air traffic control in the United States isn't broken up by state, but rather by zones and sectors. Throughout the continental US, there are 21 zones, as illustrated on the above map. Each of these zones is centralized around a major city, such as Houston, New York, and Washington D.C.
But that's not where air control ends. Within these 21 zones, there are sectors and 50 miles in diameter of airspace. Within each given portion of airspace is where all of the country's airports are located, each with its own five-mile radius.
Metric System Vs. Imperial System
One of the age-old arguments a majority of the world has with the United States is why the country insists on staying with the imperial system of measurement. Aside from Liberia and Myanmar, the rest of the world, as you can see by the gray masses, use the metric system.
In America's defense, they can actually blame the British on the unit of measurement. Hundreds of years ago, when the British colonized America, they brought with them the imperial system. Ever since, Americans have used that system, deciding not to jump on the metric system-train, so to speak.
Where Flamingos Flock In The Wild
While a majority of people will only ever see flamingos in zoos, there are some places around the world where they live freely in the wild. As illustrated by the above map, these wading birds tend to favor Africa, Europe, tiny parts of Asia, the Caribbean, and the southern tip of America.
Fun fact about flamingos: these birds tend to stand on one leg, but no one really knows why. It's thought that they stand in such a way to retain body heat, as their long, skinny legs spend most of the day wading around in cold water.
Land Use Throughout The United States
The United States has one of the largest landmasses at its disposal and a very diverse one at that. With 3.8 million square miles to work with, it's only natural that the land making up the United States has various uses, depending on where it's located.
While much of the western states use their land for forests and timber, middle America has great pastures for farm animals, such as cows, sheep, and horses. But even tiny spaces go a long way, like the national parks and the tiny northern splotch of land that produces maple syrup!
Abandoned Railroads Throughout The United States
Railways played a huge role in the construction of America, from the settlements in the west to the Industrial Revolution in the east. It was 1827 when the first railroad was constructed. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was the vision of John Stevens and catered to both freight and passenger transport.
As the map shows, a majority of the abandoned railways are located in the east, slowly expanding out west. This pattern makes sense with the early settlements, slow construction, the 1893 economic panic that halted many projects, and the eventual invention of the automobile and the airplane that would become the more popular modes of transportation.
Further Proof That California Is Its Own Country
While Italy technically has a larger population than California, having a population of 60.3 million compared to the state's 39.5 million, the latter is obviously bigger in terms of area. As you can see from the map, California easily fits over the entirety of Italy, even crossing over a few borders into Swiss territory.
To give a bit of perspective on the size of the country versus the area of the state, let's look at some numbers: Italy is 301,340 sq km, while California's is a solid 403,882 sq km, making the country 74.61 percent the size of the state.
Eight Million Miles Of Highway In The United States
Formed back on November 11, 1926, the United States Federal Highways has an expanded reach of 157,724 miles throughout the country. Each highway has a designated number, something that is coordinated among each of the 50 states.
And while the roadways stretch throughout the continental U.S., their maintenance is in the responsibility of state and local governments. If you've ever been on a New Jersey highway, then you know tax money is going to something other than fixing all of the highway potholes!
The Population Density Of The U.S.
This map physically shows how dense the population is across the country, highlighting how most of the population is located in the Eastern half of America.
It seems the West Coast might not actually be the best coast.
Australia Vs. The United States
When looking at a world map, it's hard to determine which country is larger, Australia or the United States. So, we've layered them in order to gain a better perspective.
The United States is around 9,833,517 sq km, while the land down under is 7,741,220 sq km. In mathematical terms, America is about 1.3 times as large as Australia, or 27 percent. Considering the United States has a population of 328.2 million, it's a good thing there is so much space!
Majority Of The US Has A Smaller Population Than LA County
If there is one thing to say Los Angeles County in southern California, it is packed tighter than a tin of sardines. With a population of 10 million, according to the 2019 census, the single county of LA out-populates a vast majority of the United States, as shown above.
Granted, North Carolina and Georgia should join Ohio, Illinois, New York, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania on this map. As of 2019, North Carolina just makes it past LA County's population with 10.49 million people, while Georgia's population comes in at 10.62 million.
Cuba Fits In The Hudson Bay
It's amazing to see an entire country fit snugly inside a body of water, considering how bays tend to look fairly small on the world map. Thankfully, we have this "perspective map" to give us an idea of just how large the Hudson Bay is compared to the island country of Cuba.
Let's start by saying, the bay is huge, comparatively speaking. The Hudson Bay's surface area is 1,230,000 sq km, while Cuba has an area of 110,860 sq km. With that size difference, no wonder Cuba looks like nothing more than a sandbar on this map.
The Mediterranean Sea Compared To The U.S.
This map shows the Mediterranean Sea overlaid on a map of the United States. It's incredible to see the comparison between the two! The Mediterranean Sea spans 970,000 square miles or 0.7% of the globe's ocean surface.
Larger than the Mediterranean Sea, the United States spans 3.797 million square miles.
The US If States Were Sized By Population Density
Wouldn't it be interesting to open a textbook and see a map of the United States looking all split-up like this? While normal images of the US have all of the borders connected, this interesting take is based on what the map would look like, if it were designed based on the population density per state.
As you can see, it doesn't look like the states of California or Florida changed much, if at all, while Alaska, the biggest state in the country, is shrunk down to almost nothing! And can we talk about how big New Jersey is compared to its usual small self?
China Vs. The United States
It's no secret that China is the world's most populated country, being the home to over one billion people. But when it comes to the surface area of the land, it is just beaten out by the United States.
By using a bit of imagination, you can see that if you reconfigure the shape of China, it is almost the same size as the US. But, at the end of the day, China is just a bit smaller, at 9,596,961 sq km, while the United States comes in at 9,833,517 sq km.
The Population Of Middle America = Both Coasts
It's no secret that a majority of people flock away from middle America in favor of living on either the eastern and western seaboard to live. But it might come to a surprise to see the population of both coasts in comparison to a vast majority of the country's middle states.
To break it down, the orange represents a population equivalent to that of the red portion in the middle of the map. Pretty much, if you're not a people person, we recommend living somewhere in the red section of the map.
