I love Andorra taking over a third of France and Spain. And at the other extreme poor old Vatican doesn’t get anything as it’s surrounded by Rome.
From the map author:
Did you know that the capital cities of Europe not only serve as the centres of their own countries, but also influence neighbouring regions in other countries?
The Voronoi map of European capitals shows the areas of influence of each capital, based on geographical proximity.
This cross-border dynamic can be easily observed in some capital cities. The small but economically powerful city of Luxembourg, for example, attracts commuters from nearby cities in France, Belgium and Germany due to its dynamic labour market and high wages.
Although it does not directly consider important social and economic aspects, or even overestimate the potential of small capitals, for example, this type of map helps to understand regional flows, especially in the European context, where proximity between countries is a striking feature.
Check out the map to see the area of influence of the capital city you live in. Or even which capital can geographically influence your city.
Note: Vatican City was excluded and yes we know that Bern is not an official capital.
Data story by Ronnie Aldrin Silva
To build on this the map below shows how many national capitals in European countries are closer than their own (excluding micro-states)
Corsica is the big outlier with 13 other European national capitals closer to it than it is to Paris.
What’s the nearest capital city to you?
JM says
Love your stuff, please keep up the good work, but the UK is four separate countries with four capital cities. The United Kingdom is not a country. The four nations are older than many other nation states.
Howard says
By the same standard, Spain is a “United Kingdom” not a country, either. It is Castile, Aragon, and Navarre, at the very least.