Strange Maps

White text on a light gray background reads "Strange Maps" in a large, decorative font.
The world, seen sideways

Most maps show the world as something to be navigated. Strange Maps reveals the worlds humans have imagined.

Since 2006, Frank Jacobs has been collecting and interpreting maps that do more than chart geography or political borders. These maps — often obscure, beautiful, funny, and deeply revealing — each tell a story, usually one that’s more about how we see ourselves than where we are.

Published as a book in 2009 and a Big Think column since 2010, Strange Maps draws on a steady stream of reader submissions and rare discoveries. Together, they offer a way of seeing the world from unfamiliar angles, where cartography becomes culture, argument, and art.

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Frank Jacobs is a journalist whose work explores how culture, history, and imagination shape the way we see the world.

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strange maps
“The Chinese Job”: Spain’s wild 1580s plan to conquer the world — via Beijing
The plan — conquer China and push west to attack the Ottomans — was peak imperial hubris, as the Spanish themselves eventually realized.

Frank Jacobs

A color-coded map of Asia shows four migration phases from China, with arrows pointing toward Papua New Guinea and the Andaman Islands, both circled in yellow.
Trafalgar Square Pyramid
Take a look at the Times Square Totem, the Trafalgar Square Pyramid, and other landmarks that were never built.
A collage featuring an image of the Stasi Records Archive and a map of Europe with the shape of Germany blacked out.
There are good historical reasons why Germans are suspicious of surveillance.
Will your grandchildren live in cities on Antarctica?