A Topologist's Map of the World: Borders Only, No Geography
Reddit user xilefakamot crafted a unique world map in 2020 that shows only international borders, discarding shapes, sizes, and distances. The result is a network-like visualization that highlights adjacency relationships between countries. The creator manually sketched and smoothed the networks, aiming for efficiency in representing border patterns.
No calculations per se – I sketched out a series of networks showing which countries bordered each other, then gradually smoothed them out to make the map – all done manually.
- jfengel
It is remarkable how much it resembles the medieval T&O maps, including putting Jerusalem and the Mediterranean at the center of the world. (Which is what Mediterranean means.) And the East at the top (where we get "orient" from).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T_and_O_map
I am sure they knew that and the allusion is deliberate.
- radpanda
Since the creation of that map Canada and Denmark have gained a border (Hans Island). That barely registers on any traditional map but would dramatically rearrange this.
EDIT: Or maybe it wouldn’t? I don’t see Russia’s border with Lithuania and Poland reflected (due to Kaliningrad) so maybe only the “main” part of a country is considered?
- gus_massa
If you like this, you may like "Guess the countries just from what borders what" https://wilf.live/worldgraph/ (HN submission by the author wolfred: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44604511 sadly without too much traction 3 points | July 2025 | 2 comments)
[spoiler alert] Try finding Canada
- mncharity
I was wondering a few days ago, if for teaching geography, one might collect compelling images/stories, which combined, might weave a familiarity with the layout of the planet?
Commonplace, is Earth having a water hemisphere, and landed one. Or the now-distant but coupled shapes of South America and Africa. The rumpled bedsheets of the Indian plate collision. Then there's a green crescent of green China, SE Asia, and India, curved around a contrasting desert China and the Stans. Maybe China/Mongolia as a wedge inserted between Russian and SE Asia plus India, poking the Stans, injecting Silk Roads towards the Seas. The Blue Banana of Europe. Ring of Fire. Great Plains topographic funneling and tornados. Africa now desert and green, was khaki/green and less green, and Last Glacial Maximum was desert and dry.
TFA map is another.
Thoughts?
- bicepjai
Thanks for helping me discover subreddit mapporn :) https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/s/1IhrEkVXn7