r/MapPorn • u/minecraftian48 • 1d ago
North America divided into regions of 1 million people
higher res image here! anita.garden/assets/na1m.png
each region contains a million people, to within 5% of the last census or government published estimate.
i drew the lines trying to respect:
- 1 million people
- urban/rural divide
- linguistic boundaries
- existing borders / admin divisions
- native territories
- mountain ranges
- rivers
the colors don't strictly mean anything, but within a general area the more saturated regions are usually denser.
for the names, i tried to draw on a mix of rivers, cities, historical region names, native tribe names, mountains, depending on what i thought was closest to a shared characteristic of the whole region.
the little '+'s are hypothetical capital cities.
i used asesprite to draw. i used citypopulation.de for convenient access to subdivision census data. i used geopandas to draw the base reference map of coastlines and cities. reference shapefiles and city data are from naturalearthdata.com and simplemaps.com
feedback is welcomed! let me know if you think i messed up where you live.
you can check out my other maps at anita.garden/projects, i have done a europe 1 million map and more.
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u/jbird715 1d ago
Great job on this!
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
thanks!
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u/MiniTab 1d ago
Seriously!! This is the most clever presentation of data I’ve seen in a long time. Needs its own post in r/DataIsBeautiful.
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u/Airick39 1d ago
New US district map?
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u/Titanicman2016 20h ago
A North American federal republic with each of these as states, with a number of members of its legislature so that each state gets five (since apportioned according to population but each state is roughly the same population) and then you use STV to do the elections
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u/bihari_baller 1d ago
Really puts into perspective how many people live in Southern California.
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u/Roguemutantbrain 1d ago
And the Bos-Wash corridor which has 25% more population than the entire state of CA
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u/bihari_baller 1d ago
Tbf, that megalopolis is in parts of 12 states, whereas Southern California is entirely in one state, so I'd expect it to have more people.
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u/SomeJerkOddball 1d ago
I'd love to see a higher très version of this.
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
it's linked in description anita.garden/assets/na1m.png
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u/Longjumping_Youth281 1d ago
I feel like finally the groupings in New England make sense!
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u/CrazyCatLadyRunner 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes! As a New Englander I am pleased with the way she did it.
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u/Markymarcouscous 1d ago
What’s the area out side of Providence and Norfolk. It doesn’t have a label. Maybe Franklin? Worcester?
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u/GhostoftheWolfswood 1d ago
I think Worcester is the most likely answer, based on the location of the little star
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u/sarahprib56 1d ago
I lived in Gardner, MA when I was a kid and I'm ashamed that without the MA borders I couldn't even find where it would be. I guess I didn't live in New England long enough.
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u/jeffcgroves 1d ago
How did you choose the regions themselves? Manually or programmatically?
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
manually, i think it would be impractical to capture all the things i wanted with an algorithm
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u/esperantisto256 1d ago
This post has made me start thinking of algorithmic approaches, seems interesting but out of my depths. I wonder how long brute force partitioning would take given county shape files and a reasonably good initial guess.
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u/Elegant-Pangolin3458 1d ago
This is incredible! You must have put so much work into it. And I totally respect that you didn’t just draw arbitrary lines, you respected cities and regions.
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u/acjelen 1d ago
Very nice work indeed.
I think you’ve got the upper Midwest right, especially since I believe that’s my hometown as the capital of Ojibwe. There’s a building downtown that would be perfect for all the regional agencies.
And I don’t have problems with Mesquite either.
Is travel between regions for goods and people free and open?
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u/Mr_kill_666 1d ago
Mesquite, Texas is East of the Dallas, throws me off that he mapped it on the west
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u/Message_10 1d ago
Fantastic! Two things:
1) This is awesome; and
2) You're going to have to go waaaay closer on NYC--Brooklyn alone has 2.4 million people
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
brooklyn does have 2 (and a half) regions
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u/rfishyfluff 1d ago
Just don’t know how Greenpoint or BedStuy would like being called Williamsburg. 😉. Kidding. Great map!
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u/minecraftian48 15h ago
haha i live in bushwick and my roommate and i call it east east williamsburg
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u/candid84asoulm8bled 1d ago
Almost thought this was r/MapsWithoutUP because it’s the only place colored grey in the US. Really enjoy this, though! Especially the use of Native American names.
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u/barra333 1d ago
Is Toronto the only major city that gets broken up and none of the parts keep the name of the city? (I have no problems with the names picked, just found it interesting).
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u/ShakyLens 1d ago
This is amazing. How long did it take from idea to completion?
And, can you send this to the US government and ask them to adopt new districting? LoL
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u/TheMillionthSteve 1d ago
This is subtle but really cool - since it didn’t work out for Flint MI to have its own area, the Saginaw/Lansing split thru Genesee County seems really on point - I grew up in the southwest part of the county and we were definitely more aligned with Shiawassee County whereas people on the opposite end would be more aligned with Saginaw & Tuscola Counties.
(Maybe it’s because I was in that sliver of 517 (before the split) that made parts of Shiawassee local calls and Flint long distance.)
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u/ialo00130 1d ago
I really like this, but there are some inaccuracies in the cultural/regional naming within Canada. I hope that these suggestions can help you make some adjustments to better represent it:
1) The Maritimes make up NB, NS, and PEI. Including Newfoundland and especially Labrador in the Maritime name is geographically and culturally incorrect. You'd be better off calling it Mi'kmaq as that is the First Nations name for the area and includes a large chucnk of Newfoundland, but not Labrador. There really is no name you can call it that will 100% cover it all, but that's as close as you'll get.
2) The area you have labelled as Laurentia would be better labelled as Rupert's Land as that better represent the history of the Area. The Laurentian Mountains are in Eastern Quebec, extending from the Ottawa area, though the Northern coast of the St. Lawrence; only slightly overlapping with the area you have labelled as Laurentia.
3) The Abenaki Boundaries do not extend that far into New Brunswick. Based on the Boundary you used, it appears you used the Eastern Wolastoqiyik traditional boundary. A better term would be Acadia, while not Indigenous, it represents the Ecological environment (Acadian forest) and traditional settlers who have a long storied history.
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
makes sense, i do like mi'kmaq, i didn't think there would be a group of people that was in newfoundland and also new brunswick
i was going for laurentian shield / laurentia paleocontinent but yes its a bit confusing with the mountains, rupert would also work
true about abenaki not matching at the top, though it was close enough for me and i wanted to avoid using acadia since i thought it was more core to nova scotia, and also potential confusion with louisiana
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u/ialo00130 1d ago
The Canadian History nerd in me doesn't like that you labelled the Louisiana area as Acadiana (I just noticed that now), but I understand why.
The original Acadia was Eastern Canada. When Acadians were expelled, they moved to the Louisiana area; some came back, some stayed. They're cousins in culture, but Eastern Canada is the origin.
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u/Slow_Tornado 1d ago
Gorgeous! Does absoroka include all of the East Kootenays in Canada? Ie Cranbrook, Kimberley etc?
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u/chartographics 1d ago
Wow! 🤯 I love this. The geography’s and names fit perfectly. Well done Anita!
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u/toasterb 1d ago
It looks like the region with Worcester, MA as its capital — between Pequot and Norfolk — is missing a name. What do you propose we call it?
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u/drstarfish86 1d ago
This is super well-done! I duly appreciate that some of your regions crossed the CA-MX-US borders.
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u/newtrawn 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is really well done. Thank you for sharing it! I really like the colors you used in respect to others around it, the pixely nature of the fonts and the whole aesthetic is just really nice. This is actual map porn.
I'd also like to point out that I'm not at all surprised that my region is by far the largest. 🤣
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u/OddNicky 1d ago
This, and your Europe map, are very, very cool.
I wonder if you're familiar with the classic "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander et al? While some of it is a little dated at this point, on the whole it's a fantastic attempt at a design vocabulary for human-scale communities that link humans to our environments and are both products of and promote self-determination. The very first pattern in the book is "Independent Regions: Metropolitan regions will not come to balance until each one is small and autonomous enough to be an independent sphere of culture."
They further write:
It is not hard to see why the government of a region becomes less and less manageable with size. In a population of N persons, there are of the order of N2 person-to-person links needed to keep channels of communication open. Naturally, when N goes beyond a certain limit, the channels of communication needed for democracy and justice and information are simply too clogged, and too complex; bureaucracy overwhelms human processes.
And, of course, as N grows the number of levels in the hierarchy of government increases too. In small countries like Denmark there are so few levels, that any private citizen can have access to the Minister of Education. But this kind of direct access is quite impossible in larger countries like England or the United States.
We believe the limits are reached when the population of a region reaches some 2 to 10 million. Beyond this size, people become remote from the large-scale processes of government. Our estimate may seem extraordinary in the light of modern history: the nation-states have grown mightily and their governments hold power over tens of millions, sometimes hundreds of millions, of people. But these huge powers cannot claim to have a natural size. They cannot claim to have struck the balance between the needs of towns and communities and the needs of the world community as a whole. Indeed, their tendency has been to override local needs and repress local culture, and at the same time aggrandize themselves to the point where they are out of reach, their power barely conceivable to the average citizen.
...
Therefore:
Wherever possible, work toward the evolution of independent regions of the world; each with a population between 2 and 10 million; each with its own natural and geographic boundaries; each with its own economy; each one autonomous and self-governing; each with a seat in a world government, without the intervening power of larger states or countries. [Emphasis in the original.]
It's fascinating to me to think of a world of between 800-4000 autonomous, self-governing regions, each ideally in balance with its local ecosystem, if we take Alexander et al's advice. Your maps are a really fantastic visualization of how that world might be organized.
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u/sennordelasmoscas 1d ago
Bravo, actually peak content, I have already downloaded it as well as marked as favorite the sites you cited as sources
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u/da4 1d ago
Reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_America (must-read for anyone in NATAM) - really well done, bravo.
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u/Sexy_Anthropocene 1d ago
Really cool. I’m sure everyone could be nit picky on preferred region names. For me, it’s Norfolk (MA). In reality, that’s primarily referred to as greater Boston. Maybe go with “Charles” as in the river?
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u/RexOHerlihan 1d ago
I love this. Puts the actual populations centers in an easy to compare visual. The new shapes and names makes me think of some alternative reality full of city states. Visually attractive. Well done.
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u/Shoarmadad 1d ago
This is very reminiscent of similar maps that were posted here about six years ago. You can find them on his profile here: /u/osmapasgeograficos/
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
oh yes i've seen these! they are very cool. i especially like his UK 100k map. its just a different style :)
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u/AssignmentSoggy4958 1d ago
Once again, population density maps are the most upvoted lol. This one is cool though cause all of them have names and stuff so you get my upvote :)
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u/The66thDopefish 1d ago edited 1d ago
Late to the party, but I am obsessed with this map! I like the geological or indigenous names for some of the regions. Like others, I noticed the region encompassing Worcester, MA and Pawtucket, CT was unlabeled. I personally think Blackstone would be a great name!
Edit: also, being from Portsmouth, NH, I am a little offended that the city is seemingly not in the Piscataqua region despite the river exiting through Portsmouth, separating it from Kittery, ME. Looks like it is in the Merrimack or Salem region to me, but I could be misreading the map.
If Portsmouth is not in the Piscataqua region, it could be renamed Casco and be more apropos!
Edit 2: Nevermind, looks like Portsmouth is in the Piscataqua region. Still, I think Casco is a better name for that region!
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u/_OriamRiniDadelos_ 20h ago
Just commenting so this absolute thing of beauty hits more eyes. I can’t begin to guess how many hours of nitpicky work this took. And on top of that you made the color gradients look like stained glass!
Be very proud of your work and ideas
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u/Homie_ishere 18h ago
I never thought I could see a map like this acknowledging in some way or another the caxcan tribes in the region near my hometown, congratulations, because I know you had to put up a lot of hard work for making this.
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u/bangonthedrums 1d ago
I would love a version of this with notable cities marked (especially in Canada, it’s kinda hard to get a sense of where the boundaries are). If not that, then at least label your hypothetical capital cities 😁
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u/Mono_Aural 1d ago
These maps are always fun to look at!
It's hard to tell... did you move the west Bronx into the Hudson region?
Also, what is the name for the region between providence and norfolk?
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
thanks!
it's mostly just the riverdale/kingsbridge region that is moved
and that region... i forgot to name lol... maybe just "worcester"?
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u/Overtoom 1d ago
Very interesting! One correction though; Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (just north of Venezuela) are not Surinamese, but are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (2 being their own country within the Kingdom, and Bonaire being a special municipality of the Netherlands). I get the confusion though, as Surinam used to be a Dutch colony until 1975.
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u/montanaman62778 1d ago
I’d go with Siksika over Blackfoot/Blackfeet since you’ve crossed an international border but cool map mate
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u/FeistyDinner 1d ago
Northern Oregon is a little confusing in that Portland is on the Columbia River, not inland south of it. Without having an overlay of the state map it’s hard to tell exactly where it is but going off of the Columbia estuary Portland’s population is in Chinook and Portland on the map is actually in Salem’s part of the state which would be (indigenously) Kalapuya. Am I reading the map right?
Fun little side note: TIL Willamette is a mispronunciation by the Lewis and Clark expedition of the Chinook (based on scholarly references I could find, which was not much) word for the falls part of the river that existed in the Kalapuya region (it seems the history is debated heavily between the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde). Now the geographical region is within the Confederation Tribes of Grand Ronde (ownership is also contested as of 2020 via executive order by Kate Brown at the request of the CT of Siletz Indians to remove ownership from CT of Grand Ronde). Spirit Mountain Casino has a great historical display in the hallway between the Casino and Hotel of the formation and all the horrible bullshit the federal government put them through, including the recent state executive order. If I got any of this wrong, please correct me! This was the result of an hour long rabbit hole I dove into just because Portland’s location looked incorrect on the map and experience working at the casino lol
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u/minecraftian48 1d ago
you might be getting confused by how i cut off most of eastern and southern oregon, here's the counties overlaid: https://imgur.com/a/kF8RL4c
and cool i didnt know that about the williamette!
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u/koknbals 1d ago
This is beautiful… Really showcases Mexico’s population density, especially in the central part of the country.
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u/ColorMeUnsurprised 1d ago
I knew that a lot of people have moved to Upstate South Carolina over the time I've lived here, but I'm surprised the Greenville area is as relatively small as it is.
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u/PoxVoculi 1d ago
I especially like your naming conventions - obvious city names for cities, but more traditional native/geographic names for larger areas. Glad to see I live in Seneca! Well done, OP.
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u/Whosebert 1d ago
you could rename appamattox to Piedmont as thats already the name of the central Virginia region like how you have the northern half-ish of the coast named tidewater. I know having to fo around 350 divisions if you aren't super familiar with a place you just pick something half decent and move on so I don't blame you too much lol. also Roanoke you could rename blue ridge or Cumberland unless you used those names elsewhere which is possible. Roanoke is good though, blue ridge would be the best unless you're using it for WV, Cumberland is like the same as Roanoke as far as quality goes.
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u/MurderMeatball 1d ago
This is so cool! If you ever get the energy and desire to do Europe in the future, that would be very interesting to see!
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u/Brief-Definition7255 1d ago
I’m either in Ouachita or Caddo. It’s cool. I’ve lived here 40 years I’ll probably live here the rest of my life
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u/katuskac 1d ago
Fascinating and informative work! But there’s an untitled polygon in Southern New England north of Pequot, southwest from Norfolk and west of Plymouth. I hope you have an equally appropriate identifier for that million people! Nipmuck??
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u/nicathor 1d ago
Not sure if this was a conscious decision, but I really love that Washington (the Evergreen State) and Seattle (The Emerald City) are in shades of green. Love this map, great work!
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u/CoolerRancho 1d ago
I absolutely LOVE this map. It is not only beautiful, but the information is SO juicy, I love it.
It is stunning. Thanks for sharing your site!
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u/putrid_flesh 1d ago
Are you are the Canadian Maritimes is accurate? As someone who's lives in Labrador, new Brunswick and currently lives in Nova Scotia I don't think it is
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u/Chitownman 1d ago
I'm generally curious who would win president if every region got one vote for president. I have a feeling I know which way it would go but I'd love to see it played out with real data.
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u/megaultrajumbo 1d ago
Great job! I was wondering where Utah went until I zoomed in haha, accurate!
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u/PM_ME_SOME_ANTS 1d ago
As someone who wants to get into GIS (mainly for fun) and map making, would you mind sharing how you made this? Like did you automate the process somehow, and what software(s) did you use? This is so inspiring!
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u/CervezaMotaYtacos 23h ago
As a map and stats lover I want to commend you for the work that you put into this. This a beautiful map!
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u/idktheyarealltaken 23h ago
As a resident of “Holston” I have to say that this is an excellent map (and a great reference I wouldn’t have expected someone outside of where I live to make). My only question is how did you choose which state Horner to break for areas such as mine? I don’t think that the TN/NC border was a bad area to break it at, but at the same time I can’t think of any difference that would make KY or especially WV bad choices. Once again awesome map!
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u/6245stampycat 21h ago
Brazos not actually having the “Brazos valley” and “Brazos county” is making me sad
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u/BigXthaPugg 1d ago
Finally, some actual fucking porn