Tag: maps

  • Back in the USSR

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    So, those of you a little bit older than me—not to date myself—probably remember the evil Reds of Soviet Russia. Some my age do as well. Younger than me, it’s probably all ancient history. And so for those of you who forget, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was, if I am to simplify, a…

  • Tracking This Hurricane Season

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Living in Chicago, hurricane season means rather little. Perhaps at worst the city would see a major rain system moving up from Texas or the Gulf Coast. But, from all my time living on the East Coast makes hurricane season a bit more meaningful if now just as an outside observer. The Weather Channel has…

  • The West Bank Archipelago

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    This post is about an older work from Le Monde, the link to which I now forget. However, given all the talk these days about Israel and Palestine and 1967 borders, I figured it may well be advantageous to remind all that the borders likely will not be those of 1967, for the sheer fact…

  • Everybody Wants to Rule the (Top of the) World

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    To the victors go the spoils of war. Often unheralded of course is the spoil of drawing the new map. But, in and among the Himalayas, the territory of Jammu and Kashmir is yet to be won decisively by any side. Look at 1947, 1965, and 1999, we still have the territory contested and different…

  • Year of the Tornado

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    2011 appears to be the year of the tornado, with killer tornados roaming from Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and small towns in the deep South now to Joplin, Missouri. The latter now holds the record for being the most deadly, 117 confirmed deaths, in US-recorded history. The New York Times, in its coverage of the aftermath—and the…

  • The Country’s Most Violent States

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Do you live in a horribly violent and crime-afflicted state? Do you want to know? Well there’s a map for that. From the Guardian, here we have a familiar choropleth that colours each state based on where it falls into the range from most peaceful, Maine and Vermont, to the the most violent, Louisiana and Tennessee.…

  • Useful Africa

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Another rather recent infographic from Le Monde’s Philippe Rekacewicz is this, called Useful Africa. One of the key problems for African development is its lack of infrastructure. Here we see the proposed and under-construction projects that will hopefully raise Africa up from its current state. But the infrastructure is only as good as it is…

  • Maps Made by Hand (Or Simulations Thereof)

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    Le Monde is a French-language publication and so I never really bother with it, despite favourable reviews. However, they do have a small site with some content in the English language that I check from time to time. Frequently they have maps or other graphics of some interest, and this time upon visiting—done to see…

  • Little Red (or blue or yellow or light-blue) Riding (neighbour-)Hoods

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    Brendan Barry
    in

    While not new news, if you have not heard, Canada’s minority government fell and Canada is having an election. And, as we all know, elections mean infographic insanity. Map mania. Graphs galore. You get my drift. The Globe and Mail, a Toronto-based newspaper, printed an infographic about the 50 ridings to watch. (A riding is,…

  • Complex Nigeria

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    by

    Brendan Barry
    in

    The BBC has a new feature on Nigeria, one of Africa’s most important—and most complicated—countries. And a few days ago it was supposed to hold elections. But these have been postponed, apparently on logistical problems. This piece attempts to explain the complexities of modern Nigeria across several different metrics via maps. Overall, it is very…