Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I am continually amazed by just how inadequate my collection of mental maps is. I know I seem to be stuck on this topic, but I really just can't get past how inexact and usually also inaccurate my apprehension of the world has turned out to be. Whatever the cause – lacunae in my education, inability to retain, lack participation in world politics, a faulty mind's eye, secret conspiracies – a nice byproduct is that I get to have lots of geographical epiphanies. Did you know that the east side of South America is many time zones east of NY? (Credit that realization to my personal patent adviser.)

Anyway, if you would like to confuse the topography in your mind a bit further, Worldmapper has collected a vast array of area cartograms, "density equalizing maps," on all kinds of topics. They have a bulging, potentially guilt-inducing cartogram for your every mood. In keeping with the light tone of my adventure log here, may I bring to your attention "Travel Destinations" and "Travel Origins," below.

Travel Origins

Travel Destinations

I am left to conclude that the world tourism industry is supported primarily by the Germans going to France.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sure it would be interesting to have similar cartograms, considering only tourism between non-contiguous countries.

alfanje

Anonymous said...

mhm, I personally would confirm your conclusion. France is probably the European country I've been to most often ;-)