While most of us use Google Maps and GPS on a daily basis, it’s pretty rare to find real fans of cartography, the study and practice of making and using maps. If you were ever into geography or history as a kid, the chances are you’re not much of a map person.

But today, we’re going to turn this around. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively. And below we collected some of the most unusual, intriguing and informative examples of maps that will put our reality in a whole new realm.

Thanks to this awesome corner of Reddit (whose name we cannot mention thanks to the notorious internet police), there’s a LOT to uncover! Get ready to boost that inner adventurer of yours since we’re about to go places you’ve never even known existed. Psst! More awesome maps can be found in our previous posts here, here and here.

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#1 A Map Centered On Antarctica

#2 Made An Ink Map Of The Grand Canyon!

#3 Countries That Have Had Female Heads Of State Or Government In The Last Century

Previously, Bored Panda spoke with the founder of the subreddit named Patrick, who shared some very interesting insights into the wondrous world of maps. According to him, 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. 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.”

#4 15th October 2019 - 1st November 2021: Indian Households With A Tap Water Connection (Data: Jal Jeevan Mission)

#5 This Map Of All Of The Sunken Japanese Ships Of Wwii Is Mind Blowing!

#6 The Topography Of Russia

Today, the subreddit of maps is home to 1.7 million devoted members, making it a Reddit powerhouse. But just like any other online community on the platform, changes are inevitable. Patrick told us that the subreddit is doing well, but “Reddit overall over the last few years has shifted towards mobile-friendly content. Reddit used to be only for desktop users. In the early days, the content was mostly large files that were wallpaper-sized. They were great for zooming in and exploring in detail." Those days are now gone.

The moderator also said that nowadays, "Reddit is overwhelmed" with users who only use it on their smartphones and other mobile devices. "For better or worse, that is how it is and that's the trend for the future. The subreddit contains a lot of bite-size Instagram-style statistical maps. The community upvotes this content and if that's what they want, that's the direction the sub will take," Patrick told us some time ago.