Blog Topic #11 -- What's Up with Strange Maps?

Before I begin this blog, I must announce that this is to be my last blog.  Sadly it is April, almost May, and that means the end of the semester.  I have enjoyed my blog quite a bit and hopefully I may post here again someday!

For my final topic, I am suppose to find a strange map, post it here, and write a brief paragraph about it.  However, if you look at the rest of my posts, you may notice I am anything but brief.  For once, I intend to follow directions to the letter so here is my map.

Now this is indeed a strange map.  Although it may look like the United States, every state is labeled incorrectly.  For example, Nebraska is called "Nebraska Football".  This might lead one to think that each state is labeled according to a sport, but if you look at other states such as Alaska, which is called "Alaska Airlines", it is quite clear that sports are not the theme of this map.  So how exactly are the states labeled?

Well, if you have ever been on Google, you may have noticed that when you type in the first few letters or words of your search query, the Internet pops up suggestions for you.  It looks something like this...

The creator of this map typed each state's name into Google and chose the first auto-completion option.  He then mapped it onto a United States map and created the image we see above.

Although at first we may think, "Well that's nice and all, but what purpose does it serve to geography?"  Well, if you look at each name, you can determine what is probably an important part of that state or something that is commonly looked up on the Internet by people regarding that state.  For Nebraska, Cornhusker football is fairly important and in Alaska, many people would probably book airline tickets to fly there because driving is not as plausible as flying.  KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a major fast food chain in the US.  It only makes sense that when one is searching with the term "Kentucky" that KFC is going to be a top hit.  When you really begin to scrutinize the map, most of it just makes sense.

So what can this teach us about Geography?  When people think of Geography, the thought that commonly comes to mind is maps and directions.  But just like this strange map, there is much more to the subject than simply knowing where Zimbabwe is in the world.  There is cultural geography, physical geography, demography, and so much more.  Just like almost anything can be mapped, almost anything in the world is part of the study of Geography.

So I'll end this blog with an encouragement to get out there and explore your world!  You'll never know just what you'll discover!  To finish off, here are a few pictures of my adventures.

Twin Lakes, Mammoth California

Pere Marquett River, Manistee Michigan

Old Towne, Omaha Nebraska