Stories that stay with you after the final line.
Look at a typical world map and you may notice something strange. Greenland appears almost as large as Africa. Europe looks enormous compared with South America. Russia stretches across a …
How Maps Distort Country Size: The Truth Behind the Mercator Projection Read MoreEurope may look like a continent divided into countries, but underneath its political borders lies another map entirely: a map of language families. English spoken in London is related to …
Language Families of Europe: Why English, Spanish, Russian, Finnish and Basque Are So Different Read More
Germany and Poland sit side by side in the heart of Europe. They are relatively similar in physical size. Yet their population maps look dramatically different. As of January 1, …
Germany and Poland Population Density: What This Map Reveals About Cities, Industry and a Border That Moved After 1945 Read MoreChoosing one historical leader to represent an entire European country is almost impossible. France alone could offer Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon Bonaparte or Charles de Gaulle. Britain could choose Elizabeth …
Iconic Historical Leaders of Europe: The Figures Who Helped Shape Their Nations Read MoreCan a computer create an “average face” for an entire country? The map above attempts something close to that—but the answer is more complicated than the portraits might suggest. It …
What Do Europe’s Composite Female Faces Actually Show? Read MoreLook at a map of the United States and it is easy to assume that population is spread somewhat evenly across the country. It isn’t. A huge block of the …
More Than Half of America’s Land Has Only About 47 Million People Read MoreItaly today has a population of roughly 59 million people. Yet around the world, the number of people who can trace at least part of their family history back to …
Italian Ancestry Around the World: Why Millions Far From Italy Have Italian Roots Read More
Nearly 1.3 million Japanese citizens live outside Japan, but they are far from evenly spread around the world. According to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an estimated 1,298,170 Japanese nationals …
Where Japanese Citizens Live Abroad: The Top Countries in 2025 Read More
For an institution followed by Catholics around the world, the geographic history of the papacy is surprisingly concentrated. Of the 267 papal reigns counted through Pope Leo XIV, the overwhelming …
Where Were the Popes Born? The Countries Behind 2,000 Years of Papal History Read More
Most international borders separate two countries. But scattered across Europe are unusual places where three countries meet at exactly the same location. These places are known as international tripoints. Some …
Where Three Countries Meet: Exploring Europe’s 48 International Tripoints Read More