Comments on: Mapping Globalization

Mapping Globalization

desjardins — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:11:14 -0800

What does "globalization" look like? Princeton's searchable collection of historical maps and present-day analysis, including Artists' Travels in the Renaissance, an 1891 ethnographic chart, Telegraph Lines in 1869, Global Terrorism c. 1983, Oil reserves vs. consumption, a visualization of world development since 1960. (via)

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:43:54 -0800

Wow, that ethnographic map, showing North America split between "American [Indigenous]" and "Caucasian" is amazing. Talk about the world being flat.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:48:30 -0800

I was so afraid the link that showed what globalization looked like was going to be a Goatse image.

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:52:04 -0800

Which inspired me to think that the world is now India and China, I would like to see the maps these guys are going to consider interesting.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:12:28 -0800

Huh, I just noticed that the 1891 ethnographic map mentions the "Malayan Races." That's a new one on me. Plus, the source section of that page leads to "Maps Etc," another collection. Down the rabbit hole I go again...

By: AwkwardPause

AwkwardPause — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:14:01 -0800

That last link is fantastic. And sad> The huge drop-offs in life expectancy for sub-Saharan countries is especially heart wrenching. Hello Aids epidemic. Try highlighting Lesotho and Botswana.

By: honest knave

honest knave — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:43:11 -0800

The last link, Gapminder, is embedded in a Wiki that is not from the creator of Gapminder, Hans Rosling. Another use of Gapminder, a brilliant demonstration of human development trends in global health and poverty since the 60s, is also on the site.

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 16:38:30 -0800

Thanks honest knave. I am watching the children mortality rate versus GPD-per-capita , It seems that there is some kind of correlation between income and mortality rate. Which is rather unsurpring, one could say, as more income is likely to imply access to more expensive treatements or , maybe, to less more prenatal parent care. Yet I find it interesting that the absolute mortality rate goes from a 80% for subsaharian people with +- $2500 (annual gdp per capita) to a 99,4% for OECD people with a $45K . It suggest me that human are pretty resistant, or that maybe the eradication of some plagues (such as Smallpox) had quite a striking impact on infant mortality. It also suggest me that healthcare may be quite overpriced or not very effective, if 20 times the income can just buy one (assuming correlation) just a 20% decrease in mortality. Also fascinating is slide #6 , the increase of infant survival rate is almost irrelevant (95 of china to 99.x of europe) yet the european income is one order of magnitude greater. It's also a testament to how misleading a graph can be if you don't pay attention to the numbers.

By: signal

signal — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:31:36 -0800

I like how us 'Chilians', who are apparently a race, are swimming in the sea, kept there by the evil Patagonians, who had apparently conquered the Mapuche, etc.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:41:01 -0800

I also never knew that my Celtic ancestors extended into Spain.

By: donpedro

donpedro — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:23:49 -0800

This map is especially cool: click play or use the slider at bottom, and watch most countries trend upward and to the right as they boost per-capita income and life expectancy -- and keep an eye out countries like the blue dot that plummets downward and then rockets to the left around the late '80s. That would be Rwanda.

By: sneebler

sneebler — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 20:54:31 -0800

Don't miss the Hans Rosling video lecture. This is great stuff.

By: pantufla

pantufla — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 05:38:17 -0800

Thanks for the great links! desjardins: the Celts occupied a large part of Europe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Celts_in_Europe.png)

By: desjardins

desjardins — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:10:15 -0800

Yes, I just realized my mistake, pantufla. The Wikipedia article on Galicia was illuminating.