A Fun Map of Economic Equivalence

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved maps — studying them and trying to figure out the mysteries that lay behind their representations.

Then I stumbled on this map. And I thought, "What is going on here?" If you haven't seen this before, take a few moments to study it and see if you can figure out the key.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The First Right Answer: It turns out that it's an "economic production equivalence" map. The country whose name is inside of each state has a GDP that is approximately the same as the state in which it is placed.

For example, California and France have approximately the same GDP. Some of the "equations" are off by as much as 20%, but I think this map paints a fascinating picture, namely one of the US as an economic powerhouse.

I just love it when someone's able to show me something that I've seen many times before in a fresh way!

The Second Right Answer: By joining together states and countries with similar GDPs, the map creator (perhaps inadvertently) has given us a big plate of "forced connections" to stimulate our thinking. This is one of the places I go with it:

What do you get when you mix together
the cultures of the two places?
For example:
Iran + Alabama = ? (Would Bear Bryant have been the Ayatollah)
Netherlands + Pennsylvania = ?
Algeria + West Virginia = ?
Oregon + Israel = ?

Creative exercise: What connections can you make between the above states and countries?

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved maps — studying them and trying to figure out the mysteries that lay behind their representations.

Then I stumbled on this map. And I thought, "What is going on here?" If you haven't seen this before, take a few moments to study it and see if you can figure out the key.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The First Right Answer: It turns out that it's an "economic production equivalence" map. The country whose name is inside of each state has a GDP that is approximately the same as the state in which it is placed.

For example, California and France have approximately the same GDP. Some of the "equations" are off by as much as 20%, but I think this map paints a fascinating picture, namely one of the US as an economic powerhouse.

I just love it when someone's able to show me something that I've seen many times before in a fresh way!

The Second Right Answer: By joining together states and countries with similar GDPs, the map creator (perhaps inadvertently) has given us a big plate of "forced connections" to stimulate our thinking. This is one of the places I go with it:

What do you get when you mix together
the cultures of the two places?
For example:
Iran + Alabama = ? (Would Bear Bryant have been the Ayatollah)
Netherlands + Pennsylvania = ?
Algeria + West Virginia = ?
Oregon + Israel = ?

Creative exercise: What connections can you make between the above states and countries?

Comments

[Brett Slater]

Cool little exercise, Roger... The first one that jumped out at me was New York/Brazil.. I got an image of the scantily-clad women of Copacabana Beach in Rio hanging out at the Copacabana nightclub, and guys like Martin & Lewis, Sammy, and Frank strolling the sands of Rio in their tuxes... Others:

France + California = Even better wine
Canada + Texas = Ten-liter hats
Australia + Ohio = The Ayers Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Not too sure about that last one...

[shelbey]

oh, i like that last one. keep it!

mine were more mundane, or at least lacking in clever phrasing. ireland + nevada....something about mining and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...or of course that pot of gold being in vegas...

peru + utah...machu picchu and zion/canyonlands, both landscapes with a lot of unusual formations...

indonesia + louisiana...unfortunate scenes of oceanic catastrophes. both have incredible cuisine, much of it combining all kinds of wonderful spices and flavors and joie de vivre....

it's late and i'm tired. but i will check back to see some clever submissions! and i may use this in my class, if that's ok!

[Jorge Castillo]

Belarus + Alaska = You can see Russia from both lands :)

[kelly]

Netherlands + Pennsylvania = Lands of the Dutch (Dutch-Dutch vs. Pennsylvania Dutch, that is)

[eden]

Tanzania and Alaska. Both contain the highest peaks in their continent (Mt. McKinley, Mount Kilimanjaro)

[eden]

Florida and Italy. Both have the majority of their area on a peninsula

[Mike]

Very interesting. Can you share your source for the map?

[Peter Hoh]

Denmark and Indiana: flat
Norway and Minnesota: sweaters
Wisconsin and South Africa: dairies
Russia and New Jersey: the mob
Austria and Virginia: Vienna
Canada and Texas: mounted police

[Mindful Mimi]

I live in Luxembourg which obviously is not on this map - it usually falls off the map of everything :-) But I like the way this sparks thinking in a different way. Came across your blog via Marelisa's Abundance Blog and I am glad I did.
Mimi

[Matt]

Canada and Texas- Big and Boring
Not really just thought that sounded funny

Oregon and Israel- They both don't have NFL teams

[Sara Ortiz]

The only one I can come up with is that Illinois + Mexico reminds me of the fact that there are many Mexicans working in and around Chicago, especially in hotels. I used to live in Chicago and worked in a hotel where all of the maintenance and cleaning staff were Mexican. I went to Wisconsin one time and stayed at a hotel and it actually caught me off-guard that the cleaning crew was Caucasian. I was only living in Chicago for four years and yet that was long enough to build a stereotype of cleaning crews only being Mexican. What a wake up call.

[Larissa]

Pakistan and Iceland

You will get spicy-chilli icecream

[Larissa]

Florida and Italy = two peninsulas joined together will make an island

France and India + mini sari

Tibet and Bangladesh = flood on the top of Himalaya

[Andrew]

It'd be cool if there was a way to distinguish between the two.