40 Unusual And Fascinating Maps That Might Change Your Perspective On The World (New Pics)

One way to make internet users really happy is to combine great aesthetics and good design with interesting and fresh information. People genuinely enjoy learning new things about the world while being entertained, and one of our favorite corners of the internet for that is this fantastic subreddit for map lovers around the globe.

The cartography, geography, and travel-loving members of the online community share the best maps they’ve seen while others go as far as to flex their skills and create their own. We’ve collected some of their most interesting and unusual maps to give you a brand new perspective on life on Planet Earth (and maybe even help you learn something new along the way). Scroll down to enjoy them and don’t forget to give the upvote button a gentle boop next to every map that you liked. Got your safari hats on? Onwards!

We had achat with the founder of the popular map-lovers’ subreddit, land surveyor Patrick McGranaghan, about the community, his recent travels, and maps of his own creation. Check out what he told us, below.

#1 Africa’s Population Density

We wanted to know how Patrick, the founder, feels about the massive success of the subreddit, and that it’s been around for nearly 12 years.

“It’s crazy to think about how long the community has been around. I think that Reddit as a whole has become this massive social media presence,” he shared his thoughts with We.

“It’s a useful site for sharing information and that has spread around the world,” Patrick said that the community has “filled a niche” and believes it was started at “just the right time.”

According to the founder, in the past 12 years, there’s been a big shift to mobile-friendly content, which has changed how the subreddit is used.

#2 Equal Wealth Distribution Globally And Locally

#3 Land Reclamation In The Netherlands

“In the beginning, the users had desktop computers and the maps were the kind that you could zoom in on and study for hours. Now, many of the maps are made for quick consumption to show interesting trivia or geographic anomalies,” he explained how the content has changed over the years.

Patrick is very passionate about traveling and is almost a modern-day adventurer in his spare time. In his spare time, he makes maps. We were curious about what he’s been up to, recently.

“I’ve recently been traveling. I just finished a trip to Jordan and Israel and got to explore many historic sites. I’ve been doodling some casual maps from the trip. The geography of the holy land has inspired me to make more maps and I hope to post some soon,” he told We.

“Also, this summer I’m planning on visiting Finland for the International Map Collectors Society annual conference. Finland has been a historical country for cartography and I’m excited to visit the libraries and map collections there.”

#4 Old Zealand

#5 8 Ways To Divide The Netherlands

#6 Which Country Has The Most Naturally Armored Area On Earth? I Think It’s China!

This May, the subreddit will be celebrating a whopping 12 years of educating and entertaining the internet. Created all the way back in 2011, the community has grown to over 2.2 million redditors in just over a decade.

If you happen to love cartography, statistics, or just plain good design, then odds are that you’ve stumbled upon the sub’s content at some point in time. Even if it was by accident. That’s how well-known the online group is.

#7 Mediterranean Sea Fits Inside Australia – Should Be A Much Better Image Than Last One

#8 Private Jets Departing Arizona After The Super Bowl

#9 Countries That Provide Military Aid To Ukraine (January 2023)

The mastermind behind the awesome community is its founder, land surveyor Patrick—a big fan of traveling and creating maps. Over the past few years, we’ve spoken to Patrick a number of times and he shed some light on the community, map-making, and having an adventurous spirit.

“There are many different reasons one chooses to make a map. Sometimes for navigation, sometimes for showing statistical phenomena, and sometimes for fantasy. While artistic skill helps, it is not absolutely necessary,” he told We earlier.

“The important thing is to make it easy for users to glean useful information. Most maps should have a thesis or a story it is going to tell and this needs to be told through the map,” the founder of the subreddit, Patrick, told us during an interview earlier.

#10 Sun Tanning vs. Skin Whitening Google Search

#11 The World In 250 Million Years

#12 Standard Paper Sizes

The founder works on a lot of maps in his spare time. “Lately, I’ve been learning Blender. It is more of a 3-D animation program used by video game developers, but I believe that there are ways to use it to display maps,” he told us in late 2021 how he’s been trying out new tools.

“Blender has a great ability to show light and shadow patterns that are almost photo-realistic. I think there are ways to use this program beyond showing maps with realistic terrain. I’m still a novice now, but I’d like to explore other ways this program can visualize maps,” he said at the time.

#13 Percentage Of Vegetarians In Every State Of India

#14 As Of 2020, Half Of The Us Lives In The Black Counties, Half Live In The Orange

#15 Language Map Of Belgium

“I’ve noticed, especially as I’ve gotten older, that you only have so much time on this planet and every day that is wasted is a day that you’ll never get back. If you want to get out and explore the world you just have to do it,” Patrick shared earlier.

#16 A Population Density Map Of Illinois

#17 Percentage Of Population That Feel Their Country Has Benefited From Eu Membership

#18 The 2022 Edition Of The Global Peace Index

“Some adventures will cost time and resources, but the real question I ask myself is can I afford not to do some goal I have my heart set on. There are so many opportunities in this world that it may be hard to choose, but if you wait too long those opportunities will be gone forever,” he said.

#19 How To Say Number “92” In European Countries

#20 Distribution Of Grey And Red Squirrels In The UK

#21 The State Of World Press Freedom

“I think a great way to learn about an exotic place is to make a map of it and really give some hours and care into making the map look as good as possible. You really get a connection for a place as you’re putting labels on and making decisions about what to include and where to lay everything out.”

#22 The Most Popular Languages Learnen On Duolingo Per Country

#23 Which Country Has The Most Attractive Men According To Europe

#24 European Countries With A Higher Social Progress Index Than The Us

Meanwhile, there will always be a need for new maps. “The world is constantly changing and accurate spatial data is a fleeting thing. Google Maps certainly gives the impression that everything is mapped, but there is selection and generalization in their data.” He added: “In a way, reliance on Google Maps has made us dumber. We let the navigation app do all the work for us and don’t engage with making the decisions.”

#25 Today Joseph And Mary Would Have To Pass Through 15 Checkpoints To Get From Nazareth To Bethlehem. – Map

#26 Countries In Europe Where Escaping From Prison Isn’t A Crime

#27 Border Between China And Kazakhstan In Xinjiang Region

We’re pretty big fans of the subreddit and maps in general, so we know which ones are our faves. But we’d love to know which ones you enjoyed looking at, too! Drop by the comments and let us know. Meanwhile, for some more utterly amazing maps from the sub, check out We’s previous features here, here, here, as well as here and here.

#28 Status Of Gay Marriage In Europe