Brilliant Maps

Share of Europeans (of both genders) that think that Men often earn more than women because their jobs are more demanding (%)

Where Europeans Go To Buy Cheaper Alcohol Credit: Amazing__Maps

European stereotypes: Revolutionary vs Traditional More: https://lnkd.in/gqBrS-dg

Population of Eastern European Countries In 1991 Credit: Geo Universe

Map of European Currencies In 1956 Credit Forum Mapping

World Map In The Style of  Jackson Pollock https://lnkd.in/e5ebjMm9

The Year 2026 In Other World Calendar Systems Credit: Maven Mapping & The World In Maps

Simplified Forms of Government Before & After World War 1. Credit: Dodi Maps

Declassified 1992 China Coal Map Created By The CIA This 1992 coal deposits map of China captures the geographic foundation of the country’s industrial rise just as the post-Cold War world was emerging. The shaded brown regions mark major coal-bearing areas across China, revealing why coal became the backbone of Chinese industrialization and energy production during the late 20th century. Several major features stand out: The densest concentration lies in northern China, especially around Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia (labeled Nei Mongol). These regions contain some of the largest coal reserves in the world. North-eastern industrial provinces such as Liaoning and Heilongjiang also show extensive deposits, reflecting the old heavy-industrial base inherited from the Mao era and earlier Japanese occupation in Manchuria. Southwestern provinces like Guizhou and parts of Yunnan contain important but geographically difficult mountain coalfields. Western China, including Xinjiang, shows very large but sparsely developed deposits that would become strategically important decades later. Coastal industrial provinces generally have fewer deposits, meaning massive rail transport systems became necessary to move coal from inland mining regions to eastern manufacturing centers. This map was produced during a pivotal moment in Chinese history. In 1992, Deng Xiaoping had just completed his famous “Southern Tour,” accelerating market reforms and export-driven industrial growth. Coal was the energy source powering that transformation. At the time: China was rapidly expanding steel production, electrification, cement manufacturing, and heavy industry. Coal fueled nearly all of it. The map also hints at several long-term geopolitical and environmental consequences: Northern coal dominance encouraged the development of huge rail corridors linking inland mines to eastern ports and cities. Dependence on coal contributed heavily to the severe urban air pollution that later became associated with Chinese industrialization. Large western deposits in Xinjiang later became central to Beijing’s energy-security strategy. Heavy coal use helped make China the world’s largest carbon emitter by the 21st century. Cartographically, the map has the clean, analytic style typical of late Cold War U.S. intelligence and reference mapping: muted base colors, simplified political boundaries, strategic resource emphasis, and minimal decorative elements. It reflects how resource geography was viewed not just economically, but strategically. In the early 1990s, American analysts increasingly understood that China’s enormous domestic coal reserves gave it a powerful industrial advantage despite relatively limited oil resources.

Declassified 2003 Baghdad Map Created By The CIA This 2003 CIA city map of Baghdad is one of the most revealing examples of wartime intelligence cartography from the Iraq War era. Produced around the time of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the map blends civilian city geography with strategic and regime-related infrastructure in a way clearly intended for military and government use. The most striking feature is the concentration of political and security sites in central Baghdad. Government ministries, presidential palaces, military compounds, and Saddam Hussein-era institutions are heavily marked around the city core and the Green Zone area along the Tigris River. The map essentially visualizes Baghdad as both a civilian metropolis and the administrative heart of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Another important detail is the repeated warning stamped across the map: “This map is NOT to be used for TARGETING.” That disclaimer reflects the legal and operational distinction between general reference mapping and precise military targeting materials. Even though the map contains strategic infrastructure, it was likely intended for navigation, orientation, planning, logistics, and situational awareness rather than direct weapons guidance. The map also captures Baghdad before many of the transformations brought by the occupation and later sectarian conflict. Names like “Saddam International Airport” and “Saddam Hussein Official Residence” place it firmly in the final days of Ba’athist Iraq before many locations were renamed after 2003. Geographically, the map highlights how Baghdad is structured around the Tigris River, with bridges, highways, and airfields playing enormous strategic importance. Locations such as Rasheed Airfield, Al Muthenna Airfield, Abu Ghraib Airfield, and At Taji appear prominently because they were key military and logistical nodes during and after the invasion.