A really interesting resource can be found at <http:// http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/index.html>. These are a series of world maps where the area of each country is shrunk or increased to show the proportional share of a particular statistical item. For example, the map showing "Ore exports" has Australia blown up to a huge basketball shaped island several times larger than Africa. OTOH, the map showing "Total births" shows Australia shrinking away to nothing.

The site lists all the maps they intend to make and only about a third are completed so far, but when done it will be a very interesting visual accompaniment for sermons on wealth and poverty or the like.

July 2006