Brilliant Maps

Making Sense Of The World, One Map At A Time

The 24 States of Australia If All Statehood Proposals Had Succeeded

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The 24 States of Australia If Statehood Proposals Had Succeeded

Map created by Sasha Trubetskoy

The map above shows what Australia might have looked like if all statehood proposals had succeeded.

In total, it would have 24 states which would include not only the Australian mainland, but New Zealand (split into North and South islands), Fiji, New Hebrides, East Timor(?), and the states of Papua and New Guinea.

However, Sasha did one better and even estimated each state’s population, area and GDP.

Just keep in mind the following figures are from 2014, but give an idea of the relative size and economic importance of each proposed state:

[Read more…]

Canada Divided Into Four Equally Populated Regions

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Canada Divided Into Four Equally Populated RegionsSource: Ian Bremmer

The map above shows an interesting feature of Canada’s population density.

Not only does almost everyone live very close to the US border (see: 50% of Canadians Live South of The Red Line), but a small area stretching from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to Quebec city holds half the country’s population.

Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and the areas connected to them next to the US border contain a further quarter of the population.

And the last quarter live in the remaining 90%+ of the land mass.

The numbers today would be slight different as Canada’s population has zoomed past 41 million people, so each group would have to be over 10 million people. But if anything it’s likely to have become even more concentrated in an even smaller area.

So maybe Toronto really is the centre of the Canadian universe (only joking).

Final Map Of The Republics of the Soviet Union Published By The CIA In 1991

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Final Map Of The Republics of the Soviet Union Published By The CIA In 1991

Map found via the Library of Congress
The map above was published by the United States. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1991.

It shows union (Soviet Socialist) republics with area tints, republic names, and capital cities.

However, the USSR itself would be relegated to the dustbin of history that same year on December 25th (the final map would look like this).

Also interesting to note about this map is following quote from the map:   [Read more…]

The US Isn’t Even In The Top 10 Most Overworked Countries

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Americans Are Not The Hardest Workers In The OECD

Map created by Maps.Interlude

The map above shows the 10 most overworked countries in the World based on Average annual hours worked by employees in 2023.

One big country missing from the list is the United States (and even more notably China).

[Read more…]

Location Of The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang), The Only Russian Orthodox Church In North Korea

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Location Of The Only Russian Orthodox Church In North Korea

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang) is presently the only Russian Orthodox Church in all of North Korea.

Here’s more about it:

[Read more…]

Map Of The Most Common North Korean Defector Routes

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Map Of The Most Common North Korean Defector Routes

Map created by Ceosad
The map above shows the most common routes North Korean defectors use to get to South Korea. Now you may wonder why don’t they just cross directly into South Korea.

And the answer of course is the DMZ (The Demilitarized Zone), and as the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) states:

[Read more…]

Map Of The Most Common Questions Asked About Each State

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Map Of The Most Common Questions About Each State

The map above comes from CashNetUSA and shows the most common question Americans ask about each US state.

From the map:

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Map Of The Most Common Questions Americans Ask About Other Countries

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Map Of The Most Common Questions Americans Ask About Other Countries

The maps here all look at the most common questions Americans ask about other countries.

They come from CashNetUSA with a good mix of serious and not so serious questions.

[Read more…]

Hawaii’s Nearest Neighbor Is Alaska

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Hawaii's Nearest Neighbor Is Alaska

Map created by Sasha Trubetskoy

The map above shows an interesting geographical fact. Hawaii’s nearest neighbor is actually the state of Alaska. As Sasha explains:

[Read more…]

A Hypothetical Post-WWII Occupation Plan For Japan Similar To East & West Germany

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A Hypothetical Post-WWII Occupation Plan For Japan Similar To East & West Germany

The map above shows a hypothetical post-WWII occupation plan for Japan based on how the allies divided Germany.

In our timeline, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, likely forced a quicker end to the war than would have happened without them.

[Read more…]