Map 78

Click here for a full-size version of this week’s map.

This map is a proportional symbol map of the world. (Do you need a refresher on what a proportional symbol map is? Visit our “Basics” page for a quick primer.) There are fifty dots on this map, representing the top fifty...something. The dots on this map are sized according to a linear scale. As always, your job is to figure out what this proportional symbol map represents.

Stumped? Check back Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for hints about where to focus your investigation. The answer will be posted on Monday, February 26, 2018. Good luck!

Tuesday’s hint: Nearly all of the dots on this map correspond to cities of considerable economic importance. But there are also some really important cities that are not on this map, including Chicago, Toronto, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and Madrid. When you think of a solution to this map, you’ll have to think of something that doesn’t apply to these cities.

Wednesday’s hint: In addition to the large cities mentioned yesterday, you can also find some much smaller cities represented on this map. Among them are Port Said, Egypt; Balboa, Panama; and Colon, Panama. These three cities have something particular in common. Why would these three cities get highlighted on a map like this? What can you learn about the economies of these cities?

Thursday’s hint: The largest dot in Europe indicates the Dutch city of Rotterdam. At one point, just over a decade ago, Rotterdam would have been the largest dot on this map. But times have changed!

Friday’s hint: The large number of dots in East Asia generally (and China in particular) reflects the fact that that part of the world has become an economic powerhouse that produces a huge percentage of the world’s manufactured goods. This map should give you some insight into how those goods spread around the world.

Answer: Click here to see an explanation of the answer to this week’s map question.

Next map: Click here to try out our newest map question.