These maps are taken from recent Bored Panda offerings, which always provide interesting and fun collections. Here are a few that caught my eye; you can check out the full collections at the links below. Enjoy.
The United States of America: Alaskan Perspective 
Size comparison between Australia and the U.S. 
This is Pluto compared to Australia 
Passenger Railway Network 2020 
These two areas of Africa have roughly the same population 
Roads either side of the Finland-Russia border 
European countries with higher and lower income inequality than the U.S. 
Countries with more sheep than people (plus Wales, which definitely deserves to be included)
Difference between Russia’s unfriendly list last year and this year 
North Korean election results of 2019 (looks like a clear winner!)
The usual time to eat dinner in Europe 
Traffic fatalities, EU vs U.S.(Is it because of lack of trains??!)
Did you find any surprises?!
You can check out the full Bored Panda sites at:
Robby Robin's Journey 
Love these! Fascinating comparisons. I was surprised to see Turkey has higher income inequality than the US. As for dinner hour, I am definitely an outlier here in Portugal with my 6PM mealtime.
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LOL. It’ll be interesting to see if your dinner hour slowly starts becoming later and later!
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Thanks Jane these maps are so interesting. Fatalities in USA on roads – WOW! You raise a good point regarding lack of trains.
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Thanks, Margaret. Another interpretation seems to be lack of wearing seatbelts or obeying speed limits (and drinking-driving laws). Whatever the reason(s), it’s unsettling.
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Reblogged this on Musings and Wonderings and commented:
Interesting perspectives on countries around the world.
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Thanks, Wayne.
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Thank you, Jane! So many interesting nuggets…but I will confess to being mesmerized by ‘what time dinner is’. I knew about “late dinners” in some countries/locales but I didn’t realize there were so many – eating after 7…or later. My midwestern U.S. roots are showing. Dinner at 6…like it’s hard-wired into my DNA. 😉
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LOL. It is interesting how we (and our bodies) become creatures of habit. I remember the first time we were in Spain a very long time ago and the restaurants didn’t OPEN until 9 pm. Yikes! Of course, everyone else was having a siesta while we were doing things and building up a 6 pm appetite. We did adjust. 😊
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I’m not surprised to hear about the difference in US traffic fatalities and, while the lack of railways may add to it in some way, I suspect a significant factor is drinking and driving. As the road network is so large and there aren’t enough law enforcers to cover it, drivers don’t appear to be as worried about the regulations and being prosecuted, like we are in Europe, which makes for a lot of drivers over the limit on the roads. That’s based entirely on casual observation, not any actual research though.
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I’m afraid your theory makes altogether too much sense. So sad, so much loss.
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Thanks, Jane – interesting, fascinating, disturbing … and my list could go on. As for the sheep map – they’ve obviously never been to Wales, as it should also be on the map. 🐑 🙂
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You’re right, Francine, Wales should be included. Whoever produced the map must have been thinking of the UK as one country instead of a collection of countries. I’ll fix it. Thx!
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So interesting. I like the times people eat dinner. My favorite, hands down, though, is the surprise reference to the comparison of sheep inhabitants to people. That made me laugh out loud & clap my hands because it was so unexpected in a totally random way. It made me think that we need more of that is these troubled & difficult times … a good ‘sheep laugh’ in a world gone crazy that could probably benefit from more sheep than people.
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Oh, Linda, you are so right. In a world gone mad, knowing that there are places where sheep outnumber people is somehow reassuring! I need to look for more such “stories”. Deep breaths for your country tomorrow.
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Thank you so much, Jane. My husband & I voted early & have checked ‘on line’ at the voter website to verify our votes have been received. So now we wait & pray … & pray & pray & pray
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🙏🤞💕
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I really like this type of post.
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Thanks, Donna. Me, too. It’s fun to explore the maps that are out there.
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Wow – these are all so interesting. The road deaths, the income inequality, the passenger railway networks (somehow I was surprised that Australia doesn’t have more but I’ve never been there so I don’t know why I thought they’d have more). All such interesting perspectives. Thank you, Jane!
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Glad you enjoyed them, Wynne. Yes, Australia very is sparsely populated away from most of its coastal areas. In fact that there’s another map that shows the population around Sydney being more or less equal to the population in the rest of the country. Maybe I’ll include it in a subsequent Map Monday!
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Australia has vast distances to cover and outside of the east coast, there is very little population and lots of desert. We are a country who use cars, all the time!
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Indeed. Lots of desert, not so many people. A special place!
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These were all interesting. I really like your Map Mondays. I always learn a new thing.
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Thanks, Rose. It’s a pleasure to bring you new map “stories” to enjoy.
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The train network map is like a summary of my last years, so much easier in Europe than in North America.
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Exactly. And I’m so glad you’ve been making these journeys and sharing them!
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Absolutely fascinating. Finland and Russian road maps was interesting and I have always wondered why Norwegians want to eat dinner so early! And Spain so late. Perhaps due to the heat or lack thereof? The sheep map was not a surprise at all! With the size comparison between America and Australia, I can imagine how wealthy my country would have been if it was not filled with desert! We would have been a global force perhaps, not a minor player in the boondocks of the world.
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Ah, but without the desert it wouldn’t be the Australia you know. We could say the same thing about Canada and all our (usually cold) wilderness. I think we’re both lucky! Thanks for commenting.
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Oh yes! That’s right. Canada and Australia are similar. Both have large unpopulated areas. Mind you, I would rather have snow than desert.
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Me, too! But the snow wouldn’t be good for the kangaroos!! 😏
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Haha. No. Although they are smaller Parma wallaby species (a small roo), that live in the high country in the Snowy mountains, where there is snow! At least in winter!
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I did find some surprises. The biggest one was how small Pluto is. I had no idea. Let’s hear it for maps.
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I know, isn’t that astounding about the small size of Pluto?! Maps have lots of stories to tell us.
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Ding ding ding! That’s the award for finding most creative map — What time is dinner usually eaten? Or perhaps that’s just the dinner bell. But I thought that was great either way. 🙂 – Marty
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LOL. Thanks for the bell, Marty!
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I always enjoy these. This one was very informative with your choices. Love the sheep one of course as I’ve been to Wales, Scotland, New Zealand and Australia so I’ve seen the sheep!!
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Thanks, Bernie. And you’re so right about the sheep!
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We have some good pictures from NZ that show the sheer volume of sheep.
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As to dinner time — first couple days in Portugal we wondered why the restaurants weren’t open at 6!
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LOL!
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The maps are fascinating as always, Jane. Thanks for sharing the Bored Panda links.
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My pleasure, Debra.
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They’re fun. Yes the time we were in Spain as a family there was only one place near us which opened for early evening dinner, I think only in pity for the Brits. The railway maps are staggering, especially as so many tracks in Europe became abandoned in the 1960s. And one of the iconic scenes of the winning of the USA West is of gangs laying down railroads and Casey Jones driving along them 🙂
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Ah, yes, Casey Jones! The train was dealt a death blow in the U.S. way back in the 50s (and maybe earlier) when’s the feds subsidized the emerging auto industries by building all the new highways and supporting the oil companies.
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