Economic States
January 16, 2007 11:59 AM Subscribe
California = France? Norwegian bløgger Carl Størmer (via THE BIG PICTURE) made a U.S. map substituting the state names for other countries of equivalent GDP. Some of the substitutions are funny: Illinois = Mexico? Texas = Canada? New Jersey = Russia? Hawaii = Nigeria? Oregon = Israel? But your economic mileage will vary: apparently California no longer has the "sixth-largest economy in the world", no matter what The Governator says. Wikipedia chimes in, while some Californians don't want to be bothered with facts.
For some reason that label of Canada on the state of Texas looks oddly appealing. Y'all are now on notice: Don't mess with us!
posted by Turtles all the way down at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by Turtles all the way down at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2007
Cool, but I think this would have been more interesting if country names had been substituted that matched the states' primary sources of revenue.
posted by rachelpapers at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by rachelpapers at 12:09 PM on January 16, 2007
that last link is the dumbest thing i've read today that wasn't a MeTa thread.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 12:42 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 12:42 PM on January 16, 2007
Sixth, eighth... like it was a big difference. California has a GDP more than twice that of the nations in the Top 11-20. It's rather obscene as it is, sixth or eighth.
posted by linux at 12:43 PM on January 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by linux at 12:43 PM on January 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
Hahaha friggen Vietnam. Aw.
I think when the US loses its position as a superpower, this is how we should divy the country up.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 12:45 PM on January 16, 2007
I think when the US loses its position as a superpower, this is how we should divy the country up.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 12:45 PM on January 16, 2007
I wanted to speak on behalf of my country and say in my (our) best Ralph Wiggum voice "I'm Idaho!" Instead I (we) get Nevada. Could be worse I guess!
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:48 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by TwoWordReview at 12:48 PM on January 16, 2007
Now everyone will know about my state's secret trade in fine diamonds.
posted by drezdn at 12:55 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by drezdn at 12:55 PM on January 16, 2007
GOOOOOOO MEXICO!!!
posted by thekilgore at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by thekilgore at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2007
Hong Kong, eh? Not too shabby.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:05 PM on January 16, 2007
Scandinavian social democracy here I come!!! As long as we don't have to start eating lutefisk, too.
Oh, wait...
posted by bonecrusher at 1:09 PM on January 16, 2007
Oh, wait...
posted by bonecrusher at 1:09 PM on January 16, 2007
New York=Brazil?
Oh, well.
*puts on banana hammock, eats paella*
posted by jonmc at 1:11 PM on January 16, 2007
Oh, well.
*puts on banana hammock, eats paella*
posted by jonmc at 1:11 PM on January 16, 2007
I'm dumbfounded trying to figure how Tennessee has a GDP equivalent to Saudi Arabia. As is, I'm happy being Brazil.
posted by Navelgazer at 1:15 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by Navelgazer at 1:15 PM on January 16, 2007
SteveInMorocco has a nice ring to it. Too bad they spelled Morocco incorrectly on the map.
posted by SteveInMaine at 1:32 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by SteveInMaine at 1:32 PM on January 16, 2007
Minnesota/Norway is cute.
posted by milkrate at 3:32 PM CST on January 16 [+]
Yeah, I liked that, and Nebraska/Czech Republic made me think of My Antonia.
Actually, I'm surprised that Minnesota lines up with Norway, given our lack of oilfields.
posted by COBRA! at 1:49 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by milkrate at 3:32 PM CST on January 16 [+]
Yeah, I liked that, and Nebraska/Czech Republic made me think of My Antonia.
Actually, I'm surprised that Minnesota lines up with Norway, given our lack of oilfields.
posted by COBRA! at 1:49 PM on January 16, 2007
I wonder who Bush would invade first?
posted by YoBananaBoy at 1:50 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by YoBananaBoy at 1:50 PM on January 16, 2007
Hong Kong, eh? Not too shabby.
Exactly my reaction.
This post has provided some pretty interesting what-ifs for me. Thanks! I think I'll have Chinese for supper...
posted by zennie at 1:56 PM on January 16, 2007
Exactly my reaction.
This post has provided some pretty interesting what-ifs for me. Thanks! I think I'll have Chinese for supper...
posted by zennie at 1:56 PM on January 16, 2007
I always wanted to visit Amsterdam.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 1:58 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by synaesthetichaze at 1:58 PM on January 16, 2007
I'm dumbfounded trying to figure how Tennessee has a GDP equivalent to Saudi Arabia. As is, I'm happy being Brazil.
posted by Navelgazer
um, yeah dude. i live here and i have no idea what thats all about, but what the hell do i know. i thought TN's GDP was tied to
jack daniels, and weed.
posted by nola at 2:24 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by Navelgazer
um, yeah dude. i live here and i have no idea what thats all about, but what the hell do i know. i thought TN's GDP was tied to
jack daniels, and weed.
posted by nola at 2:24 PM on January 16, 2007
Thanks for this fun and interesting post wendell. Amazing map. And surprising too. Yeah, Saudi Arabia as Tennessee?!
(Embarassing confession: I didn't know the exact locations of all the states in USA and recently started playing that simple online game, placing states in their correct USA places to learn. It helped me recognise that Czech Republic was where Nebraska is, Chile is Mississippi and Denmark = Indiana etc.)
posted by nickyskye at 3:07 PM on January 16, 2007
(Embarassing confession: I didn't know the exact locations of all the states in USA and recently started playing that simple online game, placing states in their correct USA places to learn. It helped me recognise that Czech Republic was where Nebraska is, Chile is Mississippi and Denmark = Indiana etc.)
posted by nickyskye at 3:07 PM on January 16, 2007
i thought TN's GDP was tied to jack daniels, and weed.
There's lots of farming, textile and livestock, IIRC. Maybe Mining too? Country Music?
In any case, it wouldn't surprise me to see that a diverse and industrial-to-post-industrial economy would outperform a barely industrial economy largely based on the sale of a single natural resource.
I'm also not surprised Utah's rough analog might be Peru (although with 1/10th the population, our per-capita GDP would obviously be much higher).
posted by weston at 3:38 PM on January 16, 2007
There's lots of farming, textile and livestock, IIRC. Maybe Mining too? Country Music?
In any case, it wouldn't surprise me to see that a diverse and industrial-to-post-industrial economy would outperform a barely industrial economy largely based on the sale of a single natural resource.
I'm also not surprised Utah's rough analog might be Peru (although with 1/10th the population, our per-capita GDP would obviously be much higher).
posted by weston at 3:38 PM on January 16, 2007
TN looks to be mostly manufacturing, with a fairly large chunk of the transportation equipment sector. (7th in the nation for that category.) Mostly concentrated in urban areas.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 4:10 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by KirkJobSluder at 4:10 PM on January 16, 2007
What states have been substituted with Bangladesh and Malaysia?
posted by divabat at 5:14 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by divabat at 5:14 PM on January 16, 2007
And actually, most of the states east of the Mississippi get the majority of their GSP from industry of various sorts. Although you drive through miles and miles of agriculture, most of the jobs and income are going to be in and around the factory cities or towns.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 5:23 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by KirkJobSluder at 5:23 PM on January 16, 2007
Nigeria=Hawaii is the most shocking to me.
Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa's biggest economy after South Africa,
but 40 US states have bigger economies than Hawaii.
posted by Turtle at 5:26 PM on January 16, 2007
Nigeria is sub-Saharan Africa's biggest economy after South Africa,
but 40 US states have bigger economies than Hawaii.
posted by Turtle at 5:26 PM on January 16, 2007
Actually the figures are quite a bit off for some countries. And somewhat meaningless because not PPP. Also Carl Størmer didn't make the map.
posted by Turtle at 5:43 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by Turtle at 5:43 PM on January 16, 2007
Also appropriate:
Missouri = (you forgot) Poland
Montana = Tunisia
posted by banishedimmortal at 8:33 PM on January 16, 2007
Missouri = (you forgot) Poland
Montana = Tunisia
posted by banishedimmortal at 8:33 PM on January 16, 2007
Turtle, Thanks for the info about the origin of the map. pointing out the additional info and for prompting me to learn what PPP is in relation to the GDP.
posted by nickyskye at 8:51 PM on January 16, 2007
posted by nickyskye at 8:51 PM on January 16, 2007
According to this article, California's Cannabis sativa crop is worth $13.8 billion, raising the published GDP by 9%. That's an increase of 2 spots on the top 10 list.
Also, when your front page post's lead link is a graphic, you might consider attribution to the creator of that graphic, instead of to the blogger who borrowed it (with proper attribution) for his blog.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:12 PM on January 16, 2007
Also, when your front page post's lead link is a graphic, you might consider attribution to the creator of that graphic, instead of to the blogger who borrowed it (with proper attribution) for his blog.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:12 PM on January 16, 2007
Yes, ikkyu2, my bad. My baddy bad. I'd hate hate hate if it happened to me. I was researching only the California angle when I discovered the map; it was so... so shiny...
posted by wendell at 12:17 AM on January 17, 2007
posted by wendell at 12:17 AM on January 17, 2007
No worries; appeared to me you'd probably missed the attribution. It was in like 4 point font on an all-Norwegian web page.
I can't find where the York Group has it on their site, either.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:24 AM on January 17, 2007
I can't find where the York Group has it on their site, either.
posted by ikkyu2 at 12:24 AM on January 17, 2007
ikkyu2, were you high when you wrote that? California's GDP is $1,500 billion. Pot adds less than 1% to its output. The best way for California to pass Italy again is for the euro to drop against the dollar.
posted by Turtle at 4:43 AM on January 17, 2007
posted by Turtle at 4:43 AM on January 17, 2007
No, not high, just misplaced a decimal point. Should've been 0.9%.
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:07 PM on January 17, 2007
posted by ikkyu2 at 1:07 PM on January 17, 2007
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posted by ZenMasterThis at 12:02 PM on January 16, 2007