# Forty cool maps to better understand the world **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 18, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593 "2013-08-18T22:33:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/41 "2013-08-22T23:46:22Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > It totally surprised me that sports coaches are paid from the public purse - I’m guessing state colleges and the like? That would be my guess as well. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/42 "2013-08-23T00:30:24Z")
Look at how Nigeria sticks out on the bribery map. It gets a whole color all to itself! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/43 "2013-08-23T00:38:07Z")
#6 is bullshit. That’s like saying since there’s no federal sales tax fraud laws, because there’s only state laws, it’s allowed in the US. And 5 or so states refuse to pass a law (because they don’t tax). #10 is sophisticated. #20 as a image doesn’t work as well. #36 apparently serif fonts are too classy to say “ho”. #39 maybe, but that’s not how Chinese works. Some make sense semantically, some phonically. Cleveland doesn’t literally mean a place that was chopped in half. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/44 "2013-08-23T01:18:55Z")
> [@Driver8](#): > > When I think of other short hops (say San Francisco to Los Angeles) the alternatives are much shorter (especially when you take into account waiting around in airports, etc). Also at least in the Bay Area you can use SFO, Oakland or San Jose and I think LA has a similar number of options so if they’re counting individual airport to airport routes traffic could be split up. I’m surprised London to Paris isn’t on the list - two major cities in a highly developed area separated by a body of water. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/45 "2013-08-23T03:25:49Z")
Golly. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/46 "2013-08-23T04:12:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m surprised London to Paris isn’t on the list - two major cities in a highly developed area separated by a body of water. There’s a tunnel under that body of water. It’s a 2.5 hour trip on a direct train. (Of course there’s a train between Tokyo and Osaka as well, which _is_ on the list. But the total population of those two cities is almost 2x larger than London + Paris, and more strongly associated as well, being _the_ 2 major metropolitan areas in Japan.) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/47 "2013-08-23T04:17:05Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > It totally surprised me that sports coaches are paid from the public purse - I’m guessing state colleges and the like? Yes. For example, the football coach for the University of Alabama makes [$5.62 million per season](http://tracking.si.com/2013/04/16/alabama-nick-saban-highest-paid-coach/). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/48 "2013-08-23T04:19:54Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > What I do not understand is how a point midway between those places is well to the north of any of them. Midway between Europe and North America would be somewhere in the north Atlantic, There’s also a fair amount of economic activity in Asia. If you take a globe and try to identify the “middle” between Asia, Europe and North America, you’ll find it’s somewhere in or near the arctic circle. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/49 "2013-08-23T14:27:48Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Look at how Nigeria sticks out on the bribery map. It gets a whole color all to itself! They paid a little extra to get their own color. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/50 "2013-08-23T15:16:54Z")
Map 7: I wouldn’t have guessed that the most common surname in France is Martin or in Sicily is Borg. Map 17: The highest paid public employee in Nevada is the head of the Plastic Surgery department of the Med School. 😃 Maps 22 and 28: I guess there are a lot of bored teens in Scandinavia. Maybe it’s due to the very long nights in the winter? The long days in the summer probably explains the high level of coffee drinking there as well. Map 23: I didn’t realize how dense Paris is. Bonus map: Alaska should be colored in since its part of the US. She should take a weekend trip to Canada to fill in all of North America. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/51 "2013-08-23T15:35:35Z")
#40 - Is the position of North “arbitrary”? I thought “North” meant, in part, “magnetic north” which is a non-arbitrary thing. Well… until it flips that is. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/52 "2013-08-23T16:05:51Z")
Re: map 8 - the following information comes from the article attached to the map: > [@](#): > > Only a comparatively small proportion of the total in Mr Laycock’s list of invaded states actually formed an official part of the empire. > The remainder have been included because the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory – however transitory – either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment. > Incursions by British pirates, privateers or armed explorers have also been included, provided they were operating with the approval of their government. > So, many countries which once formed part of the Spanish empire and seem to have little historical connection with the UK, such as Costa Rica, Ecuador and El Salvador, make the list because of the repeated raids they suffered from state-sanctioned British sailors. That’s how they get to 90% of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/53 "2013-08-23T16:18:53Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > #40 - Is the position of North “arbitrary”? I thought “North” meant, in part, “magnetic north” which is a non-arbitrary thing. There are at least three "North"s each having a specific definition. But positioning North as the top of the map is arbitrary. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/54 "2013-08-23T16:23:45Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > …Bonus map: Alaska should be colored in since its part of the US. She should take a weekend trip to Canada to fill in all of North America. Hmm. The size and set of the shoulders makes me think it’s a he. No way to know for sure, though. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/55 "2013-08-23T17:52:40Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Map 17: The highest paid public employee in Nevada is the head of the Plastic Surgery department of the Med School. 😃 From a reading of [Transparent Nevada](http://transparentnevada.com/salaries/all/) most likely, and yes, he’s listed highest. Note though, the rightmost $ column is after the benefits that the employee doesn’t direction see. Also, if I’m not mistaken he works out of UNLV (and his CV says so). #2 is also a plastic surgeon. You’ve got to get to #9 and #17 before you hit the coaches. I think winning coaches do deserve money, but it makes me proud they’re not #1. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/56 "2013-08-23T18:37:22Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > Map 7: I wouldn’t have guessed that the most common surname in France is Martin or in Sicily is Borg. Since it says the map is “by country” (Sicily not being a country), I think Borg is for Malta. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/57 "2013-08-23T19:13:42Z")
Yeah, Maltese. I assume it has nothing to do with the Scandinavian name. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/58 "2013-08-23T19:18:14Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > #6 is bullshit. That’s like saying since there’s no federal sales tax fraud laws, because there’s only state laws, it’s allowed in the US. And 5 or so states refuse to pass a law (because they don’t tax). I think you’re misreading it: there’s a distinction between parental leave being “allowed” and parental leave being “required”. For instance, when the PiperCub came along, Mrs Piper and I were jointly entitled to one year of parental leave, to be divvied up between us as we saw fit. We were not required to use vacation leave or sick leave to cover it. The employer was required to give it to us, and required to hold our jobs for us, with no diminution of seniority. The one on parental leave also had a legal right to be paid employment insurance while on leave. Is that the case in any state in the United States? ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/59 "2013-08-23T22:07:38Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > It totally surprised me that sports coaches are paid from the public purse - I’m guessing state colleges and the like? This is, of course, highly misleading. Coaching salaries, for the most part, are expenses covered directly by the revenue generated by the athletic departments (ticket sales, apparel sales, television revenue, etc). It is true that in many cases the athletic departments are subsidized by the general fund of the school; however, this is least likely to be true for the schools with the highly paid coaches. Alabama’s football coach, Nick Saban, was brought up before. The athletic department is completely self supporting receiving no funds from the tax base nor from student tuition. The same would be true for many of the other major colleges with very highly paid coaches. The states where a coach is not the highest paid public employee also happen to be the states without major men’s college football or basketball schools. If anything, this just sheds light on the fact that many of the colleges are essentially running semi-pro football and basketball leagues under the guise of being amateur student leagues. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593/60 "2013-08-23T23:26:46Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > #40 - Is the position of North “arbitrary”? I thought “North” meant, in part, “magnetic north” which is a non-arbitrary thing. They’re not talking about the meaning of the word “north;” they’re talking about which direction is “up” on a map being arbitrary. There’s no particular reason that north should be up on a map as opposed to east, west, or south. Or 3.6 degrees west of south, for that matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forty-cool-maps-to-better-understand-the-world/666593.md?page=4)