20 Best Maps of 2020
The most attractive maps of the last year ranked by views. From the largest predator in each U.S. state to tipping etiquette around the world, these marvelous maps show cartography at its best.
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Vivid maps
2020 U.S. Election Mapped: TrumpLand vs Biden Archipelago
The 2020 U.S. presidential election revealed stark contrasts in how Americans vote based on where they live. These original maps show Biden’s urban archipelagos – centers of economic power generating 70% of U.S. GDP – scattered across Trump’s expansive heartland. From county-level analysis to population-weighted visualizations, these maps tell the story of two Americas: one concentrated in high-density cities, another spread across the rural landscape. Building on my viral 2016 electoral maps, this new series offers fresh insights into our nation’s deepening political geography.
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Maps of the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are the most extensive freshwater system globally (94,600 sq mi / 244,000 sq km). The Lakes contain 5,400 cu mi (22,500 cu km) of surface freshwater on earth or 6 quadrillion gallons of freshwater (22.7 quadrillion liters), accounting for about 21% of the world’s surface freshwater or 84% of North America’s surface freshwater.
Using Digital Elevation Model data, I made the map of the Great Lakes in watercolor style.
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3D Mapping of The Global Climate
Data analyst Alasdair Rae created unique 3D maps of the global population density. This idea inspired me to make three-dimensional maps depicting different climatic parameters. To create these maps, I used Worldclim data: average temperature (°C), precipitation (mm), solar radiation (kJ m-2 day-1), and wind speed (m s-1).
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What if “Did Not Vote” were a candidate in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election?
Joe Bide has been elected the 46th president of the U.S., In 2020, he has enlarged Hilary Clinton’s record from 51 to 162 electoral votes, while Donald Trump has raised from 16 to 98 votes. But many Americans still didn’t vote. What if “I didn’t vote” ran as a U.S. presidential candidate in the 2020 election?
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The U.S. Archipelago
The U.S. population distribution is uneven. This uneven distribution of the population is due to historical and geophysical factors (climate, landforms, soil conditions). Approximately 40% of the U.S. population lived in counties on the shore. Nowadays, population decline hit most nonmetro U.S. counties in the Great Plains. Speedy population increases in nonmetro counties nearest to large-sized metro areas and recreation regions with beautiful landscapes.
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The World’s Forests Mapped
A forest is an area of land covered by trees. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, forests cover some 3.9 billion hectares (or 9.6 billion acres), which is about 30% of the Earth’s land surface.
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The happiest countries in the world (2013 – 2020)
Happiness connects with many life factors: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and the absence of corruption. Which country is the happiest?
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The atlas of the United States in the style of Joy Division
The maps of the United States show elevation, precipitation, and population density in the style of Joy Division.
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Absence of Asians
The Asian population in the United States grew to almost 12 million by 2000 and approximately doubled to 22.5 million by 2019 (7% of the U.S. population). The Asian population in America is predicted to touch 46 million by 2060, outdoing Hispanics in 2055.
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Absence of Hispanic
Hispanic are Americans who are the posterity of immigrants from Spain or Latin America. Hispanics generally are the leading minority ethnic group in the U.S., after non-Hispanic white Americans. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, in 2020, Hispanics made up 18.7% (62.1 million) of the U.S. population.
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20 Best Maps of 2019
Now that 2019 is almost done, we think it would be interesting to look backward at our most favored maps of the year.
Read more: 20 Best Maps of 2019
US African American Population by County
Black Americans compose the 2nd-largest racial group in the United States, after White Americans and Hispanic Americans. African Americans make up 14.6% (47.8 million) of the U.S. population. In recent decades, there has been an increase in U.S. counties with a predominance of blacks.
Read more: US African American Population by County