With the rapid development of technology, people might easily assume that maps are gradually disappearing. However, they are still thriving in the digital age, only in a more refreshed and advanced form. Some are even transformed to keep us updated with population density or what the Earth will look like in millions of years. 

As a result, the World Wide Web is full of interesting and captivating maps that teach us something new and expand the way we see the world. Eager to share them with you, Bored Panda has collected the best ones that might make you see things from a different perspective. To find them, all you have to do is scroll down!

#1 An Image Of GPS Tracking Of Multiple Wolves In Six Different Packs Around Voyageurs National Park Shows How Much The Wolf Packs Avoid Each Other’s Range

Image credits: john3806

#2 The Baltic Way. On 23 August 1989, Two Million People Joined Their Hands To Form A Human Chain Spanning 675.5 Km Across The Three Baltic States

The protest was against the Soviet occupation, and to support the independence movements of the three States (2014).

Image credits: SteO153

#3 To Increase Local Tourism, Lithuania Has Made A Map With Magnets That You Can Only Find In Corresponding Cities

Image credits: greycoconut

Nowadays, with the right tools, maps can be manipulated to present any information, which makes them that much more interesting and multifunctional. The majority of the maps we see on this list are cartograms that use some statistical data, such as population, survey results, or natural phenomena, and combine it with geographical location. 

While regular or topographical maps prioritize geographical accuracy in terms of shape, size, and location, cartograms rescale map regions to statistical data and try to maintain geographical features as far as possible. Besides, they are a powerful tool for presenting information effectively and raising awareness of important issues like substance abuse or world poverty.

#4 Occupied Bald Eagle Nests In Wisconsin. 1974 vs. 2019. Growth Credited To The Clean Water Act

Image credits: zstahowiak

#5 No One Lives In The Green Part Of New Zealand,the Population Density There Is 0 People Per Km And That Is About 78% Of New Zealand Land

Image credits: Felixheifgwofbebrjwh

#6 Tracking Of An Eagle Over A 20 Year Period

Image credits: HDeo950

Since they combine statistical and geographical information, they can also provide insight into patterns and trends in the world around us. Combining this with their aesthetic appeal makes them a great supplement for information in newspapers, magazines, and textbooks.

#7 Light Blue Is A Map As We Know It And Dark Blue Is The Actual Size Of Each Country

Image credits: aisbosseth

#8 This Is My Wedding Gift To My Wife

We get married next Sunday. I used a woodburning kit to burn a map of all the states we have visited as a couple. We both love to travel and backpack do I want to to keep adding to it as we get older.

Image credits: Doofinx

#9 Hello! I Cross Stitch Earth Science Maps And Have Been Told They Belong Here. Great Lakes Bathymetry Is My Favorite So Far

Image credits: blondeboxshell

This kind of visualization has been used for many years, with the first reference dating back to at least 1870. The earliest specimen of its kind was published in 1876 by French statistician and geographer Pierre Émile Levasseur, who created a series of maps representing European countries as squares. They were sized and arranged in order according to their area, population, and even national budget.

#10 The Earth Being Centered On Great Britain Is Arbitrary, So Here’s A Map Centered On New Zealand

Image credits: ParadoxicalCabbage

#11 When A Band Announces A World Tour

Image credits: esloubro

#12 Japan, How Big It Is In Reality?

Image credits: c0urso

He created them as teaching aids, helping children realize the size of countries and their certain characteristics. However, his technique wasn’t able to catch on, and only a few similar maps appeared in many years.

The following notable development was made by Hermann Haack and Hugo Weichel, who presented election results for the German Reichstag in 1988. This time, creations alike soon emerged in the US, where they were introduced in the popular media after 1911. 

#13 The United States Of America: Alaskan Perspective

Image credits: Pariahdog119

#14 After Tokyo 2020 This Map Remains The Same. All Men’s Water Polo Gold Medal Winners Since 2000 Were Born Inside This Circle

Image credits: ASR004

#15 US Watersheds

Image credits: MrAllOrNothing

The biggest challenge in producing them has always been drawing distorted shapes, which encouraged people to develop computer software to automate this process. Waldo R. Tobler invented one of the first algorithms in 1963 and since then a wide variety of them have emerged. Before his work cartograms were created by hand.

#16 A Map Of Finland’s Bear Population, Made Up Of Bears

Image credits: Asmodeane

#17 Map Of Regional Rug Patterns Of Iran

Image credits: knownothingwiseguy

#18 My Great Grandpa Drew This Map Of Africa In The 1910’s. Thought You All Might Like It

Image credits: zherper

Today, they can be generated by a variety of algorithms, even though it’s still quite common to produce them manually.

By far the most popular one is an area cartogram, which distorts geographical location according to a chosen factor. Let’s take the total population, for example. In such a map, the size of a country is built using square grids, each representing 1 million people. The larger the total population of a place, the larger its area on the map.

#19 Each Section Has 10% Of The World’s Population

Image credits: AppleBiryani

#20 Where Penguins Are Found Naturally In The World

Image credits: cheeseface35

#21 Rivers Of Italy

Image credits: JoeFalchetto

The second type is a distance cartogram, which is used to display time and distance within a particular network. Such cartograms can usually be seen at subway or metro stations. Even though the distance between two stops might be much greater or far less than what’s shown on the cartogram, it still helps people move around.

#22 The Longest Possible Train Travel In The World

Image credits: matias90

#23 Concentration Of Castles In Europe

Image credits: MardukSyria

#24 List Of Countries Mentioned Or Referred In The Bible

Image credits: Erik_John09

While a geographical map is helpful when you want to find your way around the world, a cartogram allows us to take a closer look at the inhabitants, natural phenomena, or language of a place—a side of it we might easily miss.

#25 There Is A Lake In Finland, That Looks Like Finland

Image credits: Inutilmono

#26 Tree Cover Map Of The Us

Image credits: DrWendigo

#27 Existence Of Pangaea Proven With Evidence Of Similar Fossils Across Continents

Image credits: No_Woodpecker259

Eager for more magnificent maps? Make sure to check out our previous publications featuring informative and unusual maps as well as maps that portray lesser-known facts about America. 

#28 Map Of Most Photographed Places In The World

Image credits: the-70s-kid

#29 Europe Used To Look Like This, Before It United

Image credits: Over9000Holland

#30 United Kingdom

Image credits: orialairo

#31 Countries Which Offer Paid Maternity Leave And The Time They Provide For Expecting Mothers

Image credits: No_Negotiation_7176

#32 The Most Efficient Route Between Every Springfield In The United States

Image credits: GreenMobius

#33 This Is Awesome

Image credits: Physical-Order

#34 States With A Smaller Population Than Los Angeles County

Image credits: SwiftOryx

#35 Every State’s Least Favorite State (According To My Instagram Followers)

Image credits: matts41

#36 Closer To Paris Or To London?

Image credits: atlasova

#37 Cheese Map Of Europe

Image credits: dazzledvulture

#38 50 Percent Of Canadians Live South Of The Red Line

Image credits: midlleeastcelts

#39 3D Render Topographic Map Of Europe

Image credits: reddit.com

#40 Wolf Distribution In Italy From 1900 To 2020

Image credits: Risingmagpie

#41 Most Commonly Spoken Language In The Us After English And Spanish

Image credits: AlpineEsel

#42 To Combat The Threat Of Desertification Of The Sahel (The Region Immediately To The South Of The Sahara)

The African Union is leading an initiative to plant the Great Green Wall, a 7,775 km (4,830 mi) belt of trees crossing the entire breadth of north Africa.

Image credits: InkyScrolls

#43 World Map Mural

Image credits: eveildancer

#44 United States Population Lines

Image credits: AJgloe

#45 World Map Cantered On Antarctica

Image credits: axeman_05

#46 The Topography Of The Roman Empire, Ad 117

Image credits: boytutoy

#47 More People Live Inside The Red Area Than The Grey Area

Image credits: lex52485

#48 United States Elevation Map

Image credits: blntdfam

#49 Most Common Surname In The United States By State

Image credits: some_dawid_guy

#50 Size Comparison Between Australia And The United States

Image credits: AJgloe

#51 Land Reclamation In The Netherlands

Image credits: Wrub229

#52 Average Number Of Languages Spoken By The Eu Population

Image credits: JeannaLeavy

#53 D**g Overdose Deaths In The United States Per 100,000 Persons For 1999 And 2014

Image credits: redleaderryan

#54 Abstract World Map

Image credits: CHWDP_2137

#55 Private Jets Departing Arizona After The Super Bowl

Image credits: Logical_Scientist221