One way to make internet users really happy is to combine great aesthetics and good design with interesting and fresh information. People genuinely enjoy learning new things about the world while being entertained, and one of our favorite corners of the internet for that is this fantastic subreddit for map lovers around the globe.

The cartography, geography, and travel-loving members of the online community share the best maps they’ve seen while others go as far as to flex their skills and create their own. We’ve collected some of their most interesting and unusual maps to give you a brand new perspective on life on Planet Earth (and maybe even help you learn something new along the way). Scroll down to enjoy them and don’t forget to give the upvote button a gentle boop next to every map that you liked. Got your safari hats on? Onwards!

#1 Sun Tanning vs. Skin Whitening Google Search

Image credits: iamjakehill9

#2 Which Country Has The Most Naturally Armored Area On Earth? I Think It's China!

Image credits: reddit.com

#3 Africa's Population Density

Image credits: AbhiExplains

This May, the subreddit will be celebrating a whopping 12 years of educating and entertaining the internet. Created all the way back in 2011, the community has grown to over 2.2 million redditors in just over a decade.

If you happen to love cartography, statistics, or just plain good design, then odds are that you’ve stumbled upon the sub’s content at some point in time. Even if it was by accident. That’s how well-known the online group is.

#4 Private Jets Departing Arizona After The Super Bowl

Image credits: Logical_Scientist221

#5 Places Of Worship, North America

Image credits: feeeeshie

#6 Countries That Provide Military Aid To Ukraine (January 2023)

Image credits: KungUnderBerget

The mastermind behind the awesome community is its founder, land surveyor Patrick McGranaghan—a big fan of traveling and creating maps. Over the past few years, we’ve spoken to Patrick a number of times and he shed some light on the community, map-making, and having an adventurous spirit.

"There are many different reasons one chooses to make a map. Sometimes for navigation, sometimes for showing statistical phenomena, and sometimes for fantasy. While artistic skill helps, it is not absolutely necessary,” he told Bored Panda earlier.

#7 Americans' Opinion On Europe

Image credits: reddit.com

#8 European Countries With A Higher Social Progress Index Than The Us

Image credits: reddit.com

#9 A Map Of Where Traffic Accidents Occurred Between 2016 And 2019, In 48 States

Image credits: feeeeshie

“The important thing is to make it easy for users to glean useful information. Most maps should have a thesis or a story it is going to tell and this needs to be told through the map," the founder of the subreddit, Patrick, told us during an interview earlier.

#10 Countries That Have Sent Or Offered Help To Turkey And Syria In Regards To The Devastating Earthquake On February 6th, 2023

Image credits: Glavurdan

#11 Equal Wealth Distribution Globally And Locally

Image credits: summersunsun

#12 England, Right To Roam Map

Image credits: B2RW

The founder works on a lot of maps in his spare time. "Lately, I've been learning Blender. It is more of a 3-D animation program used by video game developers, but I believe that there are ways to use it to display maps," he told us in late 2021 how he’s been trying out new tools.

"Blender has a great ability to show light and shadow patterns that are almost photo-realistic. I think there are ways to use this program beyond showing maps with realistic terrain. I'm still a novice now, but I'd like to explore other ways this program can visualize maps," he said at the time.

#13 Europeans Who Would Fight For Their Own Country

Image credits: CeceLovezz

#14 Languages Spoken By European/North American Leaders

Image credits: geo_global

#15 Border Between China And Kazakhstan In Xinjiang Region

Image credits: eivarXlithuania

“I've noticed, especially as I've gotten older, that you only have so much time on this planet and every day that is wasted is a day that you'll never get back. If you want to get out and explore the world you just have to do it,” Patrick shared earlier.

#16 Places That "Don't Exist" According To Internet Memes (Many Based On The Original "Bielefeld Conspiracy")

Image credits: DanArv1316

#17 Map Of The Percentage Of Population Able To Speak French In The Eu By Country

Image credits: MardukSyria

#18 Countries In Europe Where Escaping From Prison Isn’t A Crime

Image credits: ElPolloPayaso

“Some adventures will cost time and resources, but the real question I ask myself is can I afford not to do some goal I have my heart set on. There are so many opportunities in this world that it may be hard to choose, but if you wait too long those opportunities will be gone forever," he said.

#19 Status Of Gay Marriage In Europe

Image credits: Reasonable_Ninja5708

#20 Switching Europe Around: The Population Of The Most Populous Country Goes To The Country With The Biggest Area, The Population Of The 2nd Most Populous Country Goes To The One With The 2nd Biggest Area, And So On

Image credits: JoeFalchetto

#21 'it Is A Duty Towards Society To Have Children' % That Agree

Image credits: drinaciggz

"I think a great way to learn about an exotic place is to make a map of it and really give some hours and care into making the map look as good as possible. You really get a connection for a place as you're putting labels on and making decisions about what to include and where to lay everything out.”

#22 Percentage Of Population That Feel Their Country Has Benefited From Eu Membership

Image credits: Logical_Scientist221

#23 Estimated Black Population In Europe By Country

Image credits: Voicemail977

#24 How To Say Number "92" In European Countries

Image credits: Redstream28

Meanwhile, there will always be a need for new maps. “The world is constantly changing and accurate spatial data is a fleeting thing. Google Maps certainly gives the impression that everything is mapped, but there is selection and generalization in their data.” He added: “In a way, reliance on Google Maps has made us dumber. We let the navigation app do all the work for us and don't engage with making the decisions.”

#25 Standard Paper Sizes

Image credits: PepperBlues

#26 A Map From Life Magazine, February 10, 1916. It Shows Readers The Possible Consequences Of The Us Refusal To Help The Entente Countries In The War Against Germany

Image credits: chimchooree

#27 % Of People Who Think Their Culture Is Superior To Others (Europe)

Image credits: UpeopleRamazing

We’re pretty big fans of the subreddit and maps in general, so we know which ones are our faves. But we’d love to know which ones you enjoyed looking at, too! Drop by the comments and let us know. Meanwhile, for some more utterly amazing maps from the sub, check out Bored Panda’s previous features here, here, here, as well as here and here.