How to Look At the World In a Completely Different Way
- By Bilal Hafeez
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- 1 min read
Images are powerful and the standard world map is etched in our minds. But alternative versions of the map can make us look at the world differently. Let’s go on a journey:
- The image below shows a typical map – Europe is the centre of the world. You can tell who created this version.
- If we scale countries by their proper size, we suddenly find that Africa and South America look much bigger (see below). The North, therefore, shrinks in importance.
- But how about if we re-center the world map with Asia at the centre. We find that China and India become prominent while Europe falls to the wayside on the edge.
- Hang on, but why is north on the top anyway? How does the world look ‘upside down’? The image below kinda messes with your head. Australia and South America become more prominent and Europe and North America fade.
- Finally, we can zoom into regions in different ways. I came across this map of the Mediterranean tilted on its side. I find it quite mind-blowing. You can recognise Italy jutting out into the Mediterranean, but you need to think more carefully about the other countries. You have Greece just below Italy and Turkey sticking out from the bottom. Israel and Lebanon are on the bottom left, while Libya is on the left. Right on the top, you have Spain. It really makes you rethink the region.
