Frank Jacobs

Frank Jacobs

Journalist, writer, and blogger

strange maps

Frank Jacobs is Big Think's "Strange Maps" columnist.

From a young age, Frank was fascinated by maps and atlases, and the stories they contained. Finding his birthplace on the map in the endpapers of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings only increased his interest in the mystery and message of maps.

While pursuing a career in journalism, Frank started a blog called Strange Maps, as a repository for the weird and wonderful cartography he found hidden in books, posing as everyday objects and (of course) floating around the Internet.

"Each map tells a story, but the stories told by your standard atlas for school or reference are limited and literal: they show only the most practical side of the world, its geography and its political divisions. Strange Maps aims to collect and comment on maps that do everything but that - maps that show the world from a different angle".

A remit that wide allows for a steady, varied diet of maps: Frank has been writing about strange maps since 2006, published a book on the subject in 2009 and joined Big Think in 2010. Readers send in new material daily, and he keeps bumping in to cartography that is delightfully obscure, amazingly beautiful, shockingly partisan, and more.

Everything Videos Articles
Aerial map view highlighting the Humongous Fungus in red within Malheur National Forest, with labeled sections "Genet D" and "Genet E." A scale bar indicates 2 kilometers.
Strange Maps
This fungus is so humongous that it can be mapped
A member of a species that kills trees, this mushroom is not the first to be called the Humongous Fungus — and perhaps not the last.
Frank Jacobs
World map highlighting the Brandt Line, dividing the Global North and Global South across continents.
Strange Maps
The Brandt Line gave us the Global North and South. It needs an update.
In 1980, Willy Brandt drew a line across the map that still influences how we think about the world.
Frank Jacobs
Map showing tidal ranges in northern Europe. Notable locations include Severn Estuary, Mont Saint Michel Bay, and Gibraltar. Depths indicated in meters and feet.
Strange Maps
Hell or high water: The wonders and dangers of Earth’s tidal ranges
Great tidal ranges are relatively rare on a global scale — and can be very deadly to the unsuspecting foreshore walker.
Frank Jacobs
Map of the Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order, showing key locations such as the World Headquarters and Library, with details on independence, language, religion, government, and currency.
Strange Maps
This Muslim microstate could soon be the world’s smallest country
The Sovereign State of the Bektashi Order would be just one quarter the size of Vatican City.
Frank Jacobs
A map depicting historical migration paths with two human figures positioned in different regions, illustrating ancient travel routes. The map shows various colored regions representing different terrains.
Strange Maps
The mountains where Neanderthals forever changed human genetics
Early modern humans interbred with Neanderthals — and scientists recently pinpointed a key site of contact.
Frank Jacobs
A map showing a proposed power transmission route from Darwin, Australia to Singapore, spanning 4,300 km, with sites for electricity supply, battery storage, and solar generation indicated along the route.
Strange Maps
World’s largest solar project will send Australian energy to Singapore
Australia's AAPowerLink boasts three global superlatives: largest solar farm, largest battery, and longest power cable.
Frank Jacobs
Map of Greece with different surname suffixes highlighted by region, such as -akis, -opoulos, -adis, and -oglou. Inset displays Cyprus with the suffix -ou.
Strange Maps
How Greek surnames reveal their geographic origins
The hidden story behind Greek surnames and how they trace family origins across the country — starting with the name of a would-be U.S. president.
Frank Jacobs
Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.
© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.