Maps That Show How The World Really Is

World maps have a tendency to be deceiving. They make some continents or islands look small, and others look gigantic by comparison. 

The United States has a population size of just over 300 million. You would think that Americans would be evenly dispersed throughout the States, but this is not the case.

As the saying goes, “Everything is bigger in Texas,” and that is true for things like trucks, belt buckles, and steak. When it comes to the actual area of Texas when compared to the continent of Africa, there is a clear winner.

Staring up at the Milky Way and watching the stars dance across the sky is a fabulous nighttime activity. Large cities like New York City and Los Angeles make it difficult to see the stars.

To understand this map, you need to know what the orange and the red sections mean. Essentially, the population size in red is equal to the population size in orange. That means almost the same amount of people live on the coasts, as almost all of middle America. 

Hundreds of airports dot the continental United States, and instead of being in their own individual zones, they belong to this unique set of borders. Instead of being named after the states, they surround, they are named after the major city that they service. 

The United States is fortunate to have a wide variety of ecosystems and biomes that allow for different sorts of industries and land uses. Each part of the country has a designated area for sectors like agriculture, defense, and forestry, and the list goes on and on. 

Throughout history, empires have risen and fallen. In 1279, the Mongolian Empire was the biggest empire by immediate landmass that the world had ever seen, and it retains this title to this day. 

By now, we know that the United States of America is a massive country that dwarfs smaller nations. New Zealand, found in Oceania, has been superimposed over America to once more prove how big it is.

There are two systems of measurement used around the globe: the imperial system and the metric system. Most countries, with a few minor exceptions and one very big one, utilize the metric system of meters, liters, and grams.

Forestry is a huge industry, and in order to make it sustainable, trees cut down need to be replaced. The United States is home to almost one-tenth of the globe’s forests, which makes it a major contributor of timber on the world market.

Catching the train, and watching the landscape pass by, is one of the most relaxing modes of transportation out there. During the Industrial Revolution in America, companies began to build railroads in the belief that every city and town would be connected. 

Bright pink flamingoes can be found in the wild, but only in very specific coastal regions in the world. Flamingoes don’t enjoy cold climates, which means their migratory patterns bring them to the sunny shores of the Southern Hemisphere.

California, known for its size, the plethora of celebs, and sunny beaches could be a country itself based on its size. The state itself has a population of over 39 million, which is more than the population of all of Canada.

While railroads might have faded into the past in the United States, highways have not. The United States’ Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is the administrative body responsible for expanding the already impressive amount of miles of highway in existence.

Australia is both an island and a continent, which puts it in a very special position. This island nation, found in the Pacific Ocean, is home to the largest coral reef in the world, and some of the most poisonous plants and spiders on the planet. In terms of size, it gives the United States a run for its money.

With such a huge population, some of the counties in the United States are stuffed to the brim with people. Los Angeles County, found in the state of California has a population size that is bigger than the state population for the majority of America.

The island nation of Cuba has been a popular holiday destination for decades, and with its recent opening to the United States, Americans have begun to flock there. Cuba might look like it is fairly big on a world map, but when compared to Hudson Bay in North America, it looks smaller than a lot of the provinces surrounding the Bay.

A lot of the states within America are sparsely populated, especially those in middle America and in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not because people don’t want to live here, but for the Pacific area it is quite expensive, and in the Midwest, there are not as many job opportunities as in the cities.

The most populous country in the world is China. The country in East Asia has held this title for many years, and luckily, it does have a large landmass to support the ever-growing population. However, the United States does give it a run for its money, in terms of land size.

The United States is full of little bistros and cafes with their own carefully made brews. Some serve up delicious cold brews, while others focus on fancy coffees full of frothy designs on top that baristas dream up. When it comes to coffee chains though, there are three brands that reign supreme.

Behind China, India is the country with the second-largest population. Its borders contain roughly 1 billion people, dispersed all throughout the country. When looking at a world map, India does not appear to be that big, but in reality, it is the seventh biggest country in the world.

While we have seen a lot of maps featuring the United States and its population size and density, there are still dozens of other countries that deserve some attention. This map shows all of the countries that have populations less than 100 million, which is quite a few.

There’s a common stereotype that many Americans have never even left the country to travel the world. Everything they see is from the perspective of the US, including the oceans surrounding the country and the Great Lakes in the middle. So many Americans have trouble conceptualizing the size of other places around the globe. The Mediterranean Sea, for instance: how big is it really? It may not be so easy to grasp its true size from looking at a regular map.

Most of the time when we think about countries around the United States, the only two that come to mind are Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. But there are entire regions of the United States that are closer to entirely different countries, especially the often-overlooked states of Alaska and Hawaii. Needless to say, most of the US is indeed closest to Canada or Mexico. But what are the other nearby countries? 

When you stare at a world map, one country immediately stands out for its size – Russia. By land size, Russia is the largest country in the world. However, like other countries on here, it has areas that are sparsely populated due to the harsh winter climate. To put it into perspective just look at how big Russia is after taking a look at China superimposed over it.

Most maps show Antarctica as this long-snaking continent that lives at the bottom of the world. Unless you are looking at a globe, it is hard to conceptualize that Antarctica is actually a rounder continent instead of one that is long and skinny.

Anybody who has spent time in a city knows that it is all about the hustle and bustle. Cars honk, nightclubs blare music, and sirens go off. This cacophony of sound all contributes to what is known as noise pollution. 

In order for a country to get bigger, it needs to have a steadily growing population. For example, Japan has an aging population and little immigration which has led to a decline in population size. This map shows where all of the spikes or population growth are happening in the United States.

Montana and Mongolia share a few similarities. Both are sparsely populated, have huge swathes of land for livestock to roam on, and a thriving agricultural sector. When it comes to land size that is where the two begin to differ, amongst many other aspects.

For some odd reason, Springfield is one of the most popular names for towns in the United States. In 25 states alone, there are a grand total of 33 towns which all have the name of Springfield. Due to this, road trippers have begun to chart the best route that allows them to visit all 33.

The Eastern European country of Poland is known for its scrumptious perogies and beautiful architecture that makes you feel as if you have gone back in time. In yet another edition of Texas versus a country, Poland does not exactly come out on top.

It can be a lot of fun to make your own maps, especially when it comes to seeing just how many countries can fit inside the continental United States. One Redditor decided to see how many random foreign countries from Europe and Asia could fill the continental US’ borders.

Lots of people go to school to learn about geography or the art of mapmaking through applications like Geographic Information Mapping System. For anyone who has put the time in to learn about size comparisons, they know that maps are not always scaled correctly.

Cities like New York City, Miami, and Seoul in South Korea have populations that number in the millions. Many other cities don’t come anywhere close to sharing a population that size. To put it into perspective, take a look at this map, which features black dots for cities with 100,000+ people in them.

By now, we know which countries are the most populous in the world: China and India. They also happen to be on the same continent, which means much of the world’s population is located within the Asia-Pacific region.

Over the centuries different sports have risen in popularity. In ancient Greek times, sports like javelin throwing and running were the norm. Now in the 21st century, there is one sport that continues to dominate around the globe.

Climate change is real, and many countries around the world are experiencing the effects of it. One of the effects is a rise in wildfires, which have begun to sweep through countries like Australia, the United States, and Canada.

Anyone who has traveled outside of North America to the United Kingdom or a Commonwealth country is well acquainted with driving on the left side of the road. Left-side driving stems from the past when automobiles were first invented. 

While landmass helps to determine the population size that it can support, there are a number of other factors that come into play. For example, populations tend to grow in areas that have a climate that isn’t harsh, access to resources like fresh water and arable land, and ports that can be used for trade.

With so many maps not drawn to scale, it is time to look at one that accurately represents what countries’ landmass actually looks like. The Hobo-Dyer Equal Area Projection team produced this map which shows just how big continents and countries are in relation to one another.

The land down under, or Australia has a total size of 7.7 million square kilometers, which makes it one of the bigger countries and continents on the map. It can be hard to put into perspective just how big that is, without comparing it to other countries.

Mercator’s Projection is by no means a new way of designing maps. In 1569, a man by the name of Gerardus Mercator introduced his mode of mapping. It is the process of using meridians, lines of latitude and longitude, and following the equator to create a cylindrical projection.

East Asia is primarily composed of South Korea, China, and Japan. Japan tends to be shown as a small island nation off the east coast of Asia, but that is not exactly accurate. Mercator’s Projection is responsible for making Japan smaller than it appears on maps, but this should put it into perspective.

There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding Canada. Canadians do not live in igloos, ride moose to school, and drizzle maple syrup on top of everything. That being said, most Canadians do tend to live close to the border with the United States or along the coasts.

While humans may choose not to live in Northern Canada, many animals continue to roam around the landscape. In the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon, herds of caribou follow strict migratory paths each year. That is true for many other animals from birds like Canadian geese to the great big water mammals such as beluga whales. 

By examining a map, it is obvious what countries share borders. The Topologist’s Map of the World shares a slightly different view though. Instead of staring at a traditional map of the world, the Topologist’s Map places countries that have borders that touch by continent. 

Countries which are rich in water are able to irrigate land used for farming, provide clean water to their populations, and even export water as a commodity. America is fortunate to be home to a whopping 250,000 rivers, which traverse over 3.5 million miles of land.

The Missouri River might have won the title for the longest river, but it is not the river that contains the largest volume of water. That title goes to the Mississippi River. The red section on this map shows all of the rivers that feed into the Mississippi.

With over 7 billion people on this planet, it is hard to conceptualize that most of that population is situated in Asia, Africa, and South America. To detail this, take a look at this color-coded map. Each color shows how the world’s populations combine to reach 1 billion people in specific regions. For example, it would take North America, South America, and Australia to reach 1 billion people. 

It’s finally time to go off-planet and take a look at the moon. Space exploration is still in its infancy, but slowly but surely we are getting closer to exploring other planets and what the universe has to offer. The moon is something every person on this planet sees, but how big is it really?