- [Narrator] Maps can show us far more than just basic geography. From politics to pop culture to history, maps can teach us exactly
what people thought about the world hundreds of year ago or what people living hundreds
of miles away think now. Prepare to be amazed by these top 10 maps that will change how you see the world. - Amazing. - [Narrator] Number
10, population density. Look at that circle. More people live inside of it than outside of it. How? Well, inside the circle covers China, India, Japan,
North Korea and South Korea, some of the most densely
populated countries in the world. Not to mention, India's population alone is 1.324 billion people,
and China is only just ahead with 1.379 billion, so high that China has to implement
a one child policy for a time to keep things stable. About 3.98 billion people
live inside that circle, around 53% of the world population. By contrast, even the
biggest countries outside of the circle are scarcely populated. 15% of Russia is unlivable tundra, and only around 50 to 55% of the land is lived
on for similar reasons. Speaking of huge countries
that are scarcely populated, look at this map and you'll
see that only 2% of Australian population lives in the highlighted area. Australia's population
is already super low for its land size, it's far larger than India
but only 24.13 million people live there in total. But the small population is also overwhelmingly
limited to the coasts. The reason for this is simple, it's just too hot and inhospitable. The lack of water and overwhelming heat mean
most people chose to not live in the middle of the
country, and those who do have to adapt. For example, a town called Coober Pedy falls into the highlighted
area and it survives by having most of the
buildings carved out of rocks underground to stay cool. Number nine, where the
most alcohol is drunk: Many maps are used to
quickly show information about a country's preferences or habits. For example, this map
shows how much alcohol is drunk per country per capita. The highest scorers are the
UK and the rest of Europe. The former due to its
binge-drinking and pub culture, and the latter because of
the lower legal drinking ages and it being normal to
drink with every meal. The outlier is Uganda,
which is so high due to the cheapness and availability of home-brewed moonshine,
called Waragi or war gin. As for the lowest, it's no
surprise that countries across the middle east have lower
rates of alcohol consumption, given that they're
majority Muslim countries and their faith forbids
the drinking of alcohol. India's rate is also low despite not being a Muslim country, but
that's because Hinduism also discourages excessive
drinking, even if it does not explicitly forbid it. As for the kinds of
alcohol countries prefer, this map shows what each country considers its beverage of
choice, so you know exactly what to order for a local no
matter what country you're in. There are some clichés in there,
Russia preferring spirits, France preferring wine,
and Germany and the UK preferring beer. With that said, I'm fascinated by the
other alcohol category, so if your home country
is shaded that color, let me know what people around you tend to drink in the comments. Number eight, map of the world from 1154. Modern maps are definitely
the most useful. They help us navigate, show us the world as it currently is, and help us visualize the basic positions of the countries. With that said, the information we now take for granted about
the structure of the world wasn't always known,
and the maps we used to use reflect that. For example, this map is from 1154, and it looks nothing like
any map we have today. Countries are the wrong shapes and sizes, either overly exaggerated
and, or understated, and whole continents are
missing that hadn't been discovered yet. Even the names are wrong, as the titles given to countries
by those who found them hadn't been replaced by the
names given to countries by their own people. Number seven, where countries
import from the most. You might not think that
maps showing where each country imports from the
most are interesting, but look at this and tell
me it's not fascinating. I think most people would expect to see Japan and China so widely
spread, given that so much of their economy is based on factory work, and the USA covering significant
ground isn't surprising, since we often use exports as a way to build relationships and show power. However, there's a lot else to dig into. For example, Germany seems
to dominate more than you might think, especially
with trade throughout the whole of Europe. Likewise, Denmark isn't a huge international player
when it comes to imports, but thanks to Greenland they're the most prominent flags on the map. Number six, plugs you need per country Not all maps have to
show important economic or political information, some can just be super helpful. For example, this map shows which power outlets
different countries use, which is invaluable if you travel a lot and are constantly confused by the million different adapters out there. What's interesting about
this one is that some set-ups are popular enough to
span entire continents, while others are confined to
just one or two countries. You can see a more extreme
version of that by looking at this map of measurement
preferences, where every country in gray has switched
over to using the metric system, and every country
in red just hasn't. If it looks like America
is lagging behind slightly, then that's because we are. But we definitely aren't alone. There are two other countries
who still haven't made the switch, but if Liberia and Burma change their mind, then
we're all on our own. Speaking of obscure national preferences, the best way to get to know a country is by looking at its internet use. This breakdown shows
the most popular website per country, and there are
definitely a few surprises on display. Google being so popular is obvious, and the fact that
Facebook is not far behind makes sense too. What's fascinating is that Russia's most popular website isn't used anywhere else in the
world, and there's actually a logical reason for it. Yandex is essentially the Russian Google, and
it's used because other search engines can't
understand inflections in the Russian language,
where the same words can mean entirely different
things depending on the context. Without that ability, search engines would be answering the wrong
questions over and over again, so it's no wonder Russia
had to find an alternative. Internet usage isn't the only
map where Russia stands out, they're easy to spot when it comes to camouflage preferences too. This map isn't super practical
unless you're in an active war zone or researching a military novel, but it does show that even
something as simple as camo patterns can vary wildly
from country to country, as well as showing that Russia's design is strangely pixelated for some reason. Before I reveal the next example, you should subscribe if
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on some amazing knowledge that could have filled your brain! Now lets get back to it. Number five, countries
by metal band frequency: Speaking of information you didn't know you needed to know, have
you ever wondered which countries have the most heavy
metal bands per citizen? Well, if you have then
you're in luck, because that's exactly what this map shows. Turns out, Finland,
Sweden, Norway and Iceland are all way above average. Probably because cold weather and Viking heritage just lend
themselves to heavier music. If heavy metal isn't your style but you still want a map
that talks about music, this one is a treasure
trove of listener habits across all genres. It shows the number one most listened to song in over 3000 cities, and it's constantly updating in real time. For example, at the time of this video, Havana by Camilla Cabello
is absolutely everywhere, but if you check right now things might be completely different. Let me know if they are! Bonus fun fact, although most
of the world is split between a few super popular current songs, not every country is a fan
of what's contemporary. For example, Kazakhstan
apparently can't stop listening to Gangnam Style. Number four, the true size of Africa When you stretch a globe onto
a flat surface like a map, things are bound to get distorted, and Africa is the place
that suffers the most. On most maps it looks relatively small, but it's actually a huge place, and this map perfectly illustrates that. Africa's area is actually 30.37 million kilometers squared, which means you could fit America, China, Europe and India inside of it and still have room for Japan and Mexico! Greenland is another place
that has this exact problem. It seems small, but if
we were to move Greenland down to Africa, it would be capable of covering almost the entire thing. Number three, maps of colonization: The truth is that maps are
not as static as we think they are, and that's obvious
when you look at history. Just look at this map from 1754. Spain holds the majority of world power, controlling
Mexico, much of South America, and even part of what is
now the United States. As for the UK, their
influence was super limited, but flash forward to 1822 and things are a totally different story. Spain's influence is totally gone, the United States is governing itself, and France has gained a
ton of power and influence. As for the UK, it has
dominion over a whole swath of Canada, and that power
had only increased by 1898. By then, the UK's empire was at its peak, controlling all of
Canada, Australia, India and what is now Egypt and Sudan. Thankfully after that, empires started to decline, and were well on their way to being gone by the end
of the second world war. Number two, gay rights across the world. Not all maps have to be political, but political maps can have the ability to show us the whole
world's progress at once. I mean, this map illustrates
where each country in the world stands on gay rights. And it's easy to see which countries are the most progressive, as well as the countries
that still have a way to go. Thankfully the countries where being gay is punishable by death
are in the minority, but Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan are proof they still exist. However, progress is happening, as in Namibia, Angola and
Botswana, being gay is still illegal, but no arrests have been attempted in over three years. Number one, the threats
to world peace map. Here's another political
map to end things with, and this one definitely
might surprise you. Each country asked its citizens
what country they thought was the biggest threat to world peace, and the majority answer's
flag was shown on the map. As you can see, in the
country's that were surveyed the data was pretty overwhelming, and it wasn't kind to us Americans. As for the runners up, both of Pakistan's neighboring countries agreed
they were the biggest threat, while the UK, America and
Canada were united in agreeing it was Iran. However, what surprises me the most is that the majority of
eastern Europe didn't vote for Russia as the most likely
to threaten world peace, given all their history. For example, a war is still raging between
Ukraine and Russia, yet this map tells us they
believe America is most likely to disturb world peace. Therefore this map must be outdated in some way. And indeed it is. After further research, I
found the data likely came from a WIN/Gallup International survey of 65 countries back in 2013,
hence why it's incomplete and out of date. Maybe all the wars in the middle east
provoked all the countries to view America in such a negative light? Nonetheless, it is
revealing to say the least. Which map did you find
the most informative? Did any surprise you? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to share
any other interesting maps that you think we may have left out. (funky electronic music)
