Vivid Maps

Back in 1990, UN demographers tried predicting what Europe would look like in 2025. Luxembourg almost doubled its forecast after switching from steel to banking. Poland was supposed to reach 45 million but never grew from its 1990 population of 38 million. Andorra lost half its predicted population because mountains don’t expand. Greece hit their forecast almost perfectly but through economic crisis instead of the prosperity they’d assumed. About 25 million Eastern Europeans moved west, which nobody’s model predicted.

Map of the Roman Empire in the Augustan age

Old maps

February 10, 2026 Alex

How Long Did It Take Western Civilization to Map the World?

Romans controlled the Mediterranean and traded with India, but had zero clue that two massive continents existed across the Atlantic. Even in 1811, during Napoleon’s reign, Antarctica was completely unknown. This 1856 atlas shows when we discovered each part of the world.

Average temperatures in January from different cities with similar latitudes across the north Atlantic ocean

Climate

February 7, 2026 Alex

The Gulf Stream Keeps Dublin 24°C Warmer Than Canadian Cities at the Same Latitude

Pick two cities at exactly 53°N latitude. One averages -22°C in January, the other barely dips below freezing at 2°C. Ocean currents can matter more than latitude when it comes to temperature.

Mapped: Countries in which an official language is primarily written in a script developed within their modern-day borders

Linguistic maps

February 6, 2026 Alex

Where Did Your Alphabet Really Come From?

The letters you’re reading didn’t originate in English-speaking countries. They came from Italy, borrowed from Greek, which adapted Phoenician. Most languages work this way. But 27 countries still write in scripts that actually developed on their own soil.

When Every State Had Homes Under $200,000: Tracking 25 Years of American Housing Prices

Real estate Vivid maps

February 4, 2026 Alex

Housing Prices by State, 2000 vs 2026: Who Gained the Most Above Inflation?

Massachusetts had the priciest homes in America back in 2000, averaging $192,616. Not a single state had crossed the $200,000 threshold. Twenty-five years later, the housing market has completely restructured itself. Most people have noticed prices going up everywhere, but how much of that is real growth versus just inflation doing its thing?

Linguistic maps

February 2, 2026 Alex

U.S. State Names Translated into Latin

What if Romans had named the United States? Someone translated all 50 state names into classical Latin. New York becomes Novum Eboracum (Eboracum was Roman York). Pennsylvania is Silvānia Penni (Penn’s Woods). Idaho is Idahum. The map shows America as Rome might have labeled it.

World map christian population by continent

Maps of World Religions News Vivid maps

January 27, 2026 Alex

Christianity Across Continents

Christianity’s journey from the Middle East to every corner of Earth has created an unexpected distribution. While many assume Europe or North America dominate, the data shows a different reality. Africa now hosts more Christians than any other continent.

Russia is only 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) from the United States

Political maps

January 24, 2026 Alex

Russia Is Only 2.4 Miles from the United States

Think Russia and the USA are half a world apart? Not quite. In the Bering Strait, two islands prove these superpowers are actually neighbors. The gap between them is just 2.4 miles (3.8 km).

Oceans Political maps

January 23, 2026 Alex

America’s Underwater Territory

The beach isn’t where America ends. Underwater, the continental shelf extends for miles, and the U.S. has jurisdiction over 5 million square miles of ocean floor. This includes everything from Alaska’s Arctic waters to small Pacific islands that were claimed in the 1850s because of bird droppings.

News Political maps Vivid maps

January 20, 2026 Alex

Who Controls the North Pole?

Six countries are staking claims to Arctic waters as ice disappears. Russia leads with 4.8 million square kilometers (1.85 million square miles), Canada has 4 million square kilometers (1.54 million square miles), Denmark claims 2.2 million square kilometers (843,345 square miles) through Greenland. What’s beneath the melting ice makes these claims worth fighting over.