Eight maps to show how the differences in how vowels are pronounced in Britain and Ireland. Explanations of each map below: Map 1: Rhoticity Rhoticity in English refers to whether or not an “r” is pronounced when it isn’t before a vowel.For example, in rhotic accents, the word “arm” has a true “r” sound in […]
Maps
Map of British English dialects
This map took me a long time to make, and is very detailed, but will always be incomplete and inaccurate due to the nature of language. Why this map is so detailed The diversity of English dialects in the United Kingdom is enormous. It’s common for people from either side of a river, mountain, or […]
MAPPA VIAE LACTEAE
A map of the Milky Way galaxy in the style of a 16th century cartographer I was looking for maps of our galaxy, and realised I couldn’t really find any. There are plenty of diagrams and artists impressions, but all focus in showing what our galaxy would actually look like from above. All very literal, […]
My Recursive Hexagonal Flat Earth Map
My proposal for a new Flat Earth map was rejected by the Global Flat Earth Society, so I guess I’ll share it here instead. Fun fact: circumnavigating the world will land you in an alternate version of your starting country:
The Ba Green: the land that Scotland won in a football game
Everybody loves weird borders right?Here’s my favourite: This is the Ba Green, a 3 acre meadow on the English side of the River Tweed that, for no clear reason, belongs to Scotland.Well, it turns out the reason is pretty unusual:Scotland won it in a football game!But this wasn’t football like you think of it today: […]
Bifurcation: The secret giant islands formed when rivers split
As I’m sure you’re aware, rivers usually combine together to make larger and larger rivers until they reach the sea.However, there are some exceptions: rivers do sometimes split up and flow in separate directions. These splits are called “bifurcations” (bi” meaning “two”, and “furcations” being the forks). They happen most often when rivers are close […]
The difference between Britain, Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and the British Isles
…and how to talk about them without offending people The history of Britain and Ireland is long, complicated and horribly messy, and as a result, lots of people get the words that describe the region mixed up. As well as being inaccurate, misusing these words can cause a lot of offence, so it’s important to […]
18 Maps of the Developed World That Make America Look Bad
America leads the world in a lot of ways. However, anyone who spends time looking at national demographics and statistics (AKA cool people like me) will have noticed that the USA often stands out when compared to other highly developed nations. I thought it could be interesting to make some maps of the “developed nations” […]
A Brief History of British and Irish Languages
Two charts and seventeen maps, showing how the languages of Britain and Ireland have changed since the Roman rule of Britannia ended 1600 years ago! First, check out this GIF I made! When most people think of the languages of Britain and Ireland, they probably think of English. It’s the language pretty much everybody speaks, […]
Winter Solstice: Sunrise and Sunset Times
A couple of maps showing when the Sun rises and sets on the shortest day of the year, depending on where you are in Britain and Ireland.