Cultural cartography

Cartographic representation of cultural explanations of definite areas.

Cultural cartography

Mapped: What the Boogeyman Looks Like Across the Globe

Around the world, there are mythical creatures meant to scare children into doing the right thing and behaving well. However, often they become the subject of terrifying nightmares. The Boogeyman. Krampus. Ninki Nanka. These frightening creatures are found all over the world, where they are available to enforce discipline when necessary. 

Read more: Mapped: What the Boogeyman Looks Like Across the Globe
Cultural cartography

The high-rated Book in Every Country by a Local Author, mapped

Goodreads is social media for bookworms: a site where 125 million bibliophiles meet to boost slate or ‘meh’ their latest reading project. Bookworms have “shelved” 3.5 billion books globally, which is a lot to sift through to find a read that is not just first-rate but just your taste.

With BookCrossing, your options are narrowed. Some 2 million readers have found or collected over 14,105,640 pass-me-down paper books in public, tracking each particular book object’s story through a special code attached to each one. Serendipity plays a more significant role here. You can chase for a book you know has been left, but more probably, your affinity with it will begin when you stumble upon it on a bus seat or in a British telephone booth.

Read more: The high-rated Book in Every Country by a Local Author, mapped
Cultural cartographyLinguistic mapsWorld

What to say to someone who leaves the door open after coming in European languages

In English, a common expression in this situation is “Were you born in a barn?” This expression is often used in a playful or teasing manner, and implies that the person who left the door open has no manners or was raised in a way that did not emphasize the importance of closing doors.

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Cultural cartographyInternet

The world’s most streamed artists on YouTube

In 2022, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) acknowledged that YouTube is now one of the “pillars in people’s music discovery.” And they created a framework for the official pop charts worldwide to include YouTube plays in their estimates. So which music — new and old — are the listenerships from country to country discovering? And then sticking on replay, free from the risk of wearing out the record?

Read more: The world’s most streamed artists on YouTube
Cultural cartographyEconomic maps

A comprehensive guide to tipping in 162 countries, mapped

To tip or not to tip – that is the question. Whether or not you hand extra money to a bellhop or round up the eatery bill often relies on a country’s local traditions. For instance, if you live in the United States, you know that tipping is pretty much always expected by specific employees in the service industry, like bartenders and servers, who usually rely on tips to make up the prevalence of their earnings. In other nations, like Japan, staff will probably see a tip as insulting.

Read more: A comprehensive guide to tipping in 162 countries, mapped
Cultural cartography

Books Around America: Find the Books Set Nearest to You

You can travel our entire world, and infinite others, through books. Better still, an excellent novel supplies an erudite tour guide and a caravan of colorful characters to accompany you along the way. Apply this theory to your hometown, and you can delve even more profound. Peel back the layers of what could or what absolutely shouldn’t happen behind the closed doors of your neighbors, and you’ll see, hear, and smell your neighborhood anew.

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BusinessCultural cartography

The Most Profitable Actor Born in Every Country and U.S. State

Samuel L. Jackson is the highest-grossing actor from Washington, the U.S., and the world. Gwyneth Paltrow is the actress with the highest box office takings worldwide. Warwick Davies, born in the U.K., is the top-grossing actor from outside the U.S. Australia’s Cate Blanchett is the actress from outside the U.S.

Read more: The Most Profitable Actor Born in Every Country and U.S. State