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Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries [visualcapitalist.com]:

This Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

Maps are hugely important tools in our everyday life, whether it’s guiding our journeys from point A to B, or shaping our big picture perceptions about geopolitics and the environment.

For many people, the Earth as they know it is heavily informed by the Mercator projection—a tool used for nautical navigation that eventually became the world’s most widely recognized map.

Mercator’s Rise to the Top

With any map projection style [visualcapitalist.com], the big challenge lies in depicting a spherical object as a 2D graphic. There are various trade-offs with any map style, and those trade-offs can vary depending on how the map is meant to be used.

In 1569, the great cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, created a revolutionary new map based on a cylindrical projection. The new map was well-suited to nautical navigation since every line on the sphere is a constant course, or loxodrome.

Geographic Inflation

The vast majority of us aren’t using paper maps to chart our course across the ocean anymore, so critics of the Mercator projection argue that the continued use of this style of map gives users a warped sense of the true size of countries—particularly in the case of the African continent [visualcapitalist.com].

Mercator’s map inadvertently also pumps up the sizes of Europe and North America. Visually speaking, Canada and Russia appear to take up approximately 25% of the Earth’s surface, when in reality they occupy a mere 5%.

As the animated GIF below—created by Reddit user, neilrkaye [reddit.com] – demonstrates, northern nations such as Canada and Russia have been artificially “pumped up” in the minds of many people around the world.

Greenland, which appears as a massive icy landmass in Mercator projection, shrinks way down. The continent of Africa takes a much more prominent position in this new, correctly-scaled map.

This visualization also highlights how distorted neighboring countries can look in Mercator projection. In the GIF above, Scandinavian countries no longer loom imposingly over their European neighbors, and Canada deflates to a size similar to the United States.

Despite inaccurate visual features—or perhaps because of them—the Mercator projection has achieved widespread adoption around the world. This includes in the classroom, where young minds are first learning about geography and forming opinions on the relationships between countries.

Getting Reacquainted with Globes

Google, whose map app is used by approximately 150 million [statista.com] people per month, took the bold step of using different projections for different purposes in 2018.

The Earth is depicted as a globe at further zoom levels, sidestepping map projection issues completely and displaying the world as it actually is: round. The result is a more accurate depiction of countries and landmasses.

With 3D Globe Mode on Google Maps desktop, Greenland's projection is no longer the size of Africa.

Just zoom all the way out at https://t.co/mIZTya01K3 [t.co] 😎🌍 pic.twitter.com/CIkkS7It8d [t.co]

— Google Maps (@googlemaps) August 2, 2018 [twitter.com]

At closer zoom levels, users are typically using maps for things like navigation, which the Mercator projection was designed for. The exact angles of roads and borders are preserved in this projection.

In the Right Direction

In a more globally connected world, geographic literacy is more important than ever. As people become more accustomed to equal area maps and seeing the Earth in its spherical form, misconceptions about the size of continents may become a thing of the past.

This post was first published in 2018. We have since updated it, adding in new content for 2021.

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The Best-Selling Vehicles in the World By Country

Don't Miss [visualcapitalist.com]

Olympic Medal Count: How Did Each Country Fare at Tokyo 2020

Automotive [visualcapitalist.com]

From American trucks to European sedans, this map shows the best-selling vehicles in the world.

The Best-Selling Vehicles in the World By Country

Each country has different preferences for goods, and vehicles are no different.

Consumers in a dense country might prefer smaller cars, while countries with wide expanses (and parking spots) open the way for larger trucks. Likewise, rugged terrain might call for vehicles that can adapt and scale quickly.

And it’s also a question of which manufacturer invested in the country. As the world’s largest automakers have raced to attract consumers in every corner of the globe, they built factories, renamed models, and even built specific cars to fit the tastes of individual countries.

This infographic from Budget Direct Car Insurance [budgetdirect.com.au] highlights the best-selling vehicles in the world, using 2019 year-end sales data.

What is the Most Popular Vehicle in Each Country?

Though the map might vary across the board, one thing is certain: Toyota’s dominance.

The Japanese automaker—which was also the most valuable automaker [visualcapitalist.com] in the world for many years before being overtaken by Tesla—had the best-selling vehicle in 41 countries of the 104 countries tallied.

It also had the world’s best-selling vehicle in 2019, the Toyota Corolla, though the sedan only took the top spot itself in five countries.

CountryBest-Selling VehicleTypeAlgeriaDacia SanderoSubcompactAmerican SamoaToyota TacomaTruckAngolaToyota Land Cruiser J70SUVArgentinaToyota HiluxTruckAustraliaToyota HiluxTruckAustriaSkoda OctaviaSedanAzerbaijanKhazar SD/LDSedanBahrainToyota Land CruiserSUVBelarusLada VestaSedanBelgiumVW GolfHatchbackBosnia and HerzegovinaSkoda OctaviaSedanBotswanaToyota HiluxTruckBrazilChevrolet OnixSubcompactCanadaFord F-SeriesTruckChileMitsubishi L-200TruckChinaVW LavidaSedanColombiaRenault SanderoSubcompactCote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)Toyota HiluxTruckCroatiaSkoda OctaviaSedanCyprusToyota YarisSubcompactCzech RepublicSkoda OctaviaSedanDenmarkNissan QashqaiSUVEcuadorChevrolet SparkSubcompactEgyptChevrolet T-SeriesTruckEstoniaToyota Rav4SUVFijiToyota HiluxTruckFinlandSkoda OctaviaSedanFrancePeugeot 208 ISubcompactGeorgiaRenault/Dacia DusterSUVGermanyVW GolfHatchbackGreeceToyota YarisSubcompactHungarySuzuki VitaraSUVIcelandToyota Rav4SUVIndiaMaruti AltoHatchbackIndonesiaToyota AvanzaVanIranSaipa PrideSedanIraqKia FrontierTruckIrelandToyota CorollaSedanIsraelToyota CorollaSedanItalyFiat PandaSubcompactJapanHonda N-BOXSubcompactJordanHyundai TucsonSUVKazakhstanToyota CamrySedanKenyaToyota HiluxTruckKosovoDacia SanderoSubcompactKuwaitToyota Land CruiserSUVLatviaToyota CorollaSedanLebanonToyota Land CruiserSUVLesothoToyota HiluxTruckLiechtensteinVW GolfHatchbackLithuaniaFiat 500SubcompactLuxembourgVW GolfHatchbackMacedoniaKia SportageSUVMalawiToyota HiluxTruckMalaysiaPerodua MyviHatchbackMexicoNissan VersaSedanMoldovaDacia LoganSedanMonacoSmart FortwoSubcompactMoroccoDacia DokkerVanNamibiaToyota HiluxTruckNetherlandsTesla Model 3SedanNew ZealandFord RangerTruckNorwayTesla Model 3SedanOmanToyota Land CruiserSUVPakistanToyota CorollaSedanPanamaToyota HiluxTruckPapua New GuineaToyota Land Cruiser J70SUVParaguayChevrolet OnixSubcompactPeruToyota HiluxTruckPhilippinesToyota ViosSubcompactPolandSkoda OctaviaSedanPortugalRenault ClioHatchbackQatarToyota Land CruiserSUVRomaniaDacia LoganSedanRussiaLada GrantaSubcompactSamoaToyota HiaceVanSaudi ArabiaHyundai AccentSubcompactSenegalMitsubishi L200TruckSerbiaSkoda OctaviaSedanSingaporeHonda Vezel/HR-VSUVSlovakiaSkoda FabiaSubcompactSloveniaRenault ClioHatchbackSolomon IslandsToyota HiluxTruckSouth AfricaToyota HiluxTruckSouth KoreaHyundai GrandeurSedanSpainSEAT LeonHatchbackSri LankaSuzuki AltoHatchbackSwaziland (Eswatini)Toyota HiluxTruckSwedenVolvo S/V60Sedan/WagonSwitzerlandSkoda OctaviaSedanSyriaHyundai TucsonSUVTaiwanToyota CorollaSedanThailandToyota HiluxTruckTongaToyota HiluxTruckTunisiaRenault ClioHatchbackTurkeyFiat EgeaSedanUkraineKia SportageSUVUnited Arab EmiratesToyota Land CruiserSUVUnited KingdomFord FiestaSubcompactUnited StatesFord F-150TruckUruguayRenault KwidHatchbackVenezuelaToyota FortunerSUVVietnamToyota ViosSubcompactYemenToyota Land CruiserSUV

As the best-seller in 16 countries, the Toyota Hilux truck (also known as the Toyota Pickup in North America) was the top vehicle in the most countries. It has a noticeably strong market share in the Southern Hemisphere, including in Argentina, South Africa, and Australia.

The other consistent factor was the strength of local manufacturers. Many countries with large automakers had local models as the best-selling vehicles, especially in Europe.

Country with Local Best-SellerVehicleCzech RepublicŠkoda OctaviaFrancePeugeot 208 IGermanyVW GolfIndiaMaruti AltoIranSAIPA PrideItalyFiat PandaJapanHonda N-BOXMalaysiaPerodua MyviRomaniaDacia LoganRussiaLada GrantaSouth KoreaHyundai GrandeurSpainSEAT LeónSwedenVolvo S/V60U.S.Ford F-150Cars are the Best-Selling Vehicles in the World

So what do car consumers currently prefer? Currently, cars have a slight edge over trucks as the best-selling vehicles [thebalance.com] in the world.

Of the 104 countries with sales tallied for the study, smaller cars often classified as “passenger vehicles” (including sedans, hatchbacks, and subcompacts) made up the majority of best-sellers, with 57 of the best-selling vehicles by country.

Meanwhile, “light trucks” or “light commercial vehicles,” which include trucks, SUVs, and vans, were best-sellers in 47 countries.

Best-Selling Vehicles by Type

• Hatchback: 12
• Sedan: 25
• Sedan/Wagon: 1
• Subcompact: 19
• SUV: 20
• Truck: 24
• Van: 3

But changing car consumption preferences are already making their mark. The electric vehicle [visualcapitalist.com] (EV) Tesla Model 3 was already the best-selling vehicle in both the Netherlands and Norway, and other countries like China are increasing incentives for consumers to purchase EVs.

That’s not even factoring in the slowdown of travel during the COVID pandemic, more workers going remote, and the semiconductor strain [visualcapitalist.com] on automakers. A truly post-COVID world will likely transform the map even further.

Continue Reading [visualcapitalist.com]Misc [visualcapitalist.com]

After 17 days and 339 events, the Tokyo Olympics have come to an end. Here we visualize the final medal tallies for every participating country.

Olympic Medal Count: How Countries Fared at Tokyo 2020

Every four years, the Summer Olympics brings together thousands of athletes from around the world to compete in a global arena of sportsmanship and athletic excellence.

Tokyo hosted the 2020 Summer Olympics from July 24 to August 9, 2021, marking the second time Japan has hosted the Summer Olympics. The country was first given the honor back in 1964 becoming the first Asian nation to host the Olympic Games.

Even in this most challenging of climates where the games had to be pushed by a year, nothing stopped the athletes from exceeding their limits and breaking long-held records.

The Final 2020 Olympic Medal Count

In a complete show of dominance, the U.S. won the most medals [olympics.com] at the Olympics, raking in 113 total with 39 gold medals. The U.S. beat out China to claim the top spot by a single gold medal. China finished the games with an impressive 88 medals in total. The host country Japan comes in at third with 27 gold medals and a total of 58 medals.

Here is the final Olympic medal count for each country that participated in the Tokyo Olympic Games:

RankCountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal1🇺🇸 U.S.3941331132🇨🇳 China383218883🇯🇵 Japan271417584🇬🇧 Great Britain222122655🇷🇺 ROC (Russia)202823716🇦🇺 Australia170722467🇳🇱 Netherlands101214368🇫🇷 France101211339🇩🇪 Germany1011163710🇮🇹 Italy1010204011🇨🇦 Canada0706112412🇧🇷 Brazil0706082113🇳🇿 New Zealand0706072014🇨🇺 Cuba0703051515🇭🇺 Hungary0607072016🇰🇷 South Korea0604102017🇵🇱 Poland0405051418🇨🇿 Czech Republic0404031119🇰🇪 Kenya0404021020🇳🇴 Norway0402020821🇯🇲 Jamaica0401040922🇪🇸 Spain0308061723🇸🇪 Sweden0306000924🇨🇭 Switzerland0304061325🇩🇰 Denmark0304041126🇭🇷 Croatia0303020827🇮🇷 Iran0302020728🇷🇸 Serbia0301050929🇧🇪 Belgium0301030730🇧🇬 Bulgaria0301020631🇸🇮 Slovenia0301010532🇺🇿 Uzbekistan0300020533🇬🇪 Georgia0205010834🇹🇼 Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)0204061235🇹🇷 Turkey0202091336🇬🇷 Greece0201010436🇺🇬 Uganda0201010438🇪🇨 Ecuador0201000339🇮🇪 Ireland0200020439🇮🇱 Israel0200020441🇶🇦 Qatar0200010342🇧🇸 Bahamas0200000242🇽🇰 Kosovo0200000244🇺🇦 Ukraine0106121945🇧🇾 Belarus0103030746🇷🇴 Romania0103000446🇻🇪 Venezuela0103000448🇮🇳 India0102040749🇭🇰 Hong Kong0102030650🇵🇭 Philippines0102010450🇸🇰 Slovakia0102010452🇿🇦 South Africa0102000353🇦🇹 Austria0101050754🇪🇬 Egypt0101040655🇮🇩 Indonesia0101030556🇪🇹 Ethiopia0101020456🇵🇹 Portugal0101020458🇹🇳 Tunisia0101000259🇪🇪 Estonia0100010259🇫🇯 Fiji0100010259🇱🇻 Latvia0100010259🇹🇭 Thailand0100010263🇧🇲 Bermuda0100000163🇲🇦 Morocco0100000163🇵🇷 Puerto Rico0100000166🇨🇴 Colombia0004010567🇦🇿 Azerbaijan0003040768🇩🇴 Dominican Republic0003020569🇦🇲 Armenia0002020470🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan0002010371🇲🇳 Mongolia0001030472🇦🇷 Argentina0001020372🇸🇲 San Marino0001020374🇯🇴 Jordan0001010274🇲🇾 Malaysia0001010274🇳🇬 Nigeria0001010277🇧🇭 Bahrain0001000177🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia0001000177🇱🇹 Lithuania0001000177🇲🇰 North Macedonia0001000177🇳🇦 Namibia0001000177🇹🇲 Turkmenistan0001000183🇰🇿 Kazakhstan0000080884🇲🇽 Mexico0000040485🇫🇮 Finland0000020286🇧🇼 Botswana0000010186🇧🇫 Burkina Faso0000010186🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire0000010186🇬🇭 Ghana0000010186🇬🇩 Grenada0000010186🇰🇼 Kuwait0000010186🇲🇩 Republic of Moldova0000010186🇸🇾 Syria00000101

Of course, countries with larger populations have an inherent advantage, so it’s also interesting to look at the top countries by population per medal. By this measure, the European microstate of San Marino comes out on top. This was San Marino’s first ever medal showing at an Olympic Games. Turkmenistan and Burkina Faso also won medals for the first time at Tokyo 2020.

Here’s a look at the top 15 countries by population per Olympic medal:

Country (population)Olympic Medals in 2020Population per medalSan Marino (33,931)311,310Bermuda (63,918)163,918Grenada (112,523)1112,523Bahamas (393,244)2196,622New Zealand (4,822,233)20241,112Jamaica (2,961,167)9329,019Slovenia (2,078,938)5415,788Fiji (896,445)2448,222Netherlands (17,134,872)36475,969Georgia (3,989,167)8498,645Hungary (9,660,351)20483,018Croatia (4,105,267)8513,158Denmark (5,792,202)11526,563Australia (25,499,884)46554,345Estonia (1,326,535)2663,267

Among countries with a slightly larger population, the Netherlands and Australia had strong showings.

Other Facts and Figures About the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Despite a year-long delay and a slew of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, this unprecedented Olympic Games went ahead. Here are 12 interesting things to note about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

1. The Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch Relay [olympics.com] traveled through all 47 of Japan’s prefectures over 121 days. It involved 10,500 torchbearers, who ultimately arrived at Japan’s Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

2. The Stadiums

40 venues in and around the city of Tokyo hosted 33 Olympic Sports and 22 Paralympic Sports events. The two main areas were the Heritage Zone and the Tokyo Bay Zone.

3. Cost of the Games

The Tokyo Olympics were the most expensive [wsj.com] Olympics on record. According to officials, the budget for the Games was $15.4 billion. On the other hand, Japanese government auditors have claimed the total spending topped $20 billion.

This is almost three times the original forecast of around $7.4 billion when Tokyo put together its bid for the Olympics. The postponement of the Games cost the country [statista.com] close to $2 billion, after initial speculation that the cost could be as high as $6 billion.

4. IOC Refugee Olympic Team

29 athletes qualified as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team [weforum.org] for the Tokyo Olympic Games. Rio 2016 was the first time that an IOC refugee team had made an appearance at the Olympic games.

5. Age is Just a Number

Syrian table tennis [visualcapitalist.com] player Hend Zaza and Japanese skateboarder Kokona Hiraki were the youngest athletes in Tokyo at 12 years old, while Australian equestrian Mary Hanna was the oldest [washingtonpost.com] at 66 years old.

6. Self Service Medalling

Athletes at the Tokyo Olympics put their medals around their own necks to protect against spreading COVID-19. After being presented medals on a tray, the athletes picked it up and medalled themselves. There would also be no handshakes or hugs at the podiums.

7. A Focus on Sustainability

To promote sustainability [visualcapitalist.com], this year’s Olympics repurposed a number of the venues used in the 1964 Games. Moreover, the podiums, uniforms, medals, and even the beds at the Olympic Village were all made from recycled materials.

While Japan is not the first to make Olympic medals from recycled materials [visualcapitalist.com], it is the first time that citizens of a host country proactively donated [olympics.com] their electronic devices as materials for the medals.

8. Inclusion and Diversity

This year, the Games nearly reached gender parity [bbc.com]. According to the IOC, of the almost 11,000 Olympic athletes in Tokyo, nearly 49% were women, marking the first “gender-balanced” games in its history. Nearly 85 years after the canoe sprint made its Olympic debut, the women’s sprint event was added [olympics.com] to the Olympic games this year.

Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand was the first openly transgender woman [nbcnews.com] competing in any event at the Olympics. She joined other elite athletes like footballer Quinn from Canada and U.S. cyclist Chelsea Wolfe to participate in this year’s games.

9. Mental Health Took Center Stage

Starting with four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open over mental health concerns, the conversation about an athlete’s mental preparedness was as important as their physical one at the games.

After Simone Biles stepped away [usatoday.com] from the U.S. women’s gymnastics team in the all-around contest earlier last week, numerous athletes worldwide have continued to elevate conversations surrounding mental health, especially in competitive sports.

10. Splitting a Medal?

Olympic high jumpers Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy mutually decided to share the top spot in their event. The last time the gold medal was shared among two athletes at the Olympics was 113 years ago.

11. Hot New Events

Four sports made their Olympic debuts at the Tokyo Games: karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. Other sports added new disciplines, including men’s and women’s three-on-three basketball and the BMX freestyle event.

12. Tokyo’s Slick Olympic Technology

Humanoid Robots [thebridge.in] helped on the field for the first time, fetching hammers and javelins flung during field events and interacting with spectators. This was also the first time a host used facial recognition systems to provide athletes and officials venue access, helping to increase and speed up security.

Next Stop, Paris

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games [paris2024.org] will take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. During those weeks, Paris will be at the center of the sporting world. The IOC is keen to set a new standard for inclusive, gender-balanced and youth-centered games.

The next Olympics are expected to see even more athlete and spectator participation—hopefully, one where they likely won’t have to work around COVID-19 restrictions. With numerous new sports added in Tokyo’s Olympic Games, we might even see breakdancing in the Paris version of events. Here’s to the next four years.

Continue Reading [visualcapitalist.com]

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