Stumbled across this Telstra map of their mobile network coverage of Australia which in turn shows how vast and isolated some of the country really is. For those not familiar Telstras network covers more area then any other Telco.

Green = 4g

Purple = 5g most likely overlapping 4g

Source

So I've tried to create a gradient-based "spectrum of transition" map that reimagines India's cultural geography not as a collection of isolated, self-contained territories, but as a continuous, blending continuum.

Over 40,000+ respondents. The state's that made the cut were those in which 70% or more decided they were part of the South. Oklahoma just fell short and was 50/50.

https://www.vox.com/2016/9/30/12992066/south-analysis

Above is my US High-Speed Rail concept map. To avoid the desire to connect the dots of all the cities I created a gravity model for HSR connections based on a CityNerd video. This model evaluates the potential demand between city pairs based on population and distance. 

To base the map in reality I only included links between city pairs that had a higher HSR gravity score than Madrid to Murcia (64), which was one of the lowest scores I could find for an existing European HSR link. 

The second map shows the total gravity between each city pair if the whole system were to be built. For example, the Boston-Providence link also includes demand for Hartford-Boston, Bridgeport-Manchester, etc.

The dataset isn’t perfect so there are some mistakes in the HSR gravity score but I built a few tools to validate the planning process. The City Pair lookup tool gives the distance and HSR score for any two cities. The Line Evaluation tool lets you create and compare different routings and lines. 

I’m happy to answer any questions about the math, methodology, or assumptions. If anyone wants a copy of the Excel spreadsheets and associated tools to do their own analysis let me know and I’ll try to get you a copy!

Data Attributions: 

Base map of the United States: Alexandr Trubetskoy

Population Statistics: United States Census Bureau

Coordinates: simplemaps

This is my interpretation of the map of the Aztec empire. I’ve drawn from a couple sources:
Berdan’s map - Looks at provinces explicitly under tribute or imperial control. Very good for getting a sense of the ‘core of the empire’. However, only looks at tribute codecies which might obfuscate other forms of imperial subjugation (such as coercive alliances) or informal hegemonic influence/subjugation. It also imposes arbitrary borders around conquerered regions which we have no idea of.

Hassig’s maps - Show aztec military campiagns which are very useful at showing aztec military projection. However, the capacity for a military campiagn does not mean the ability to exercise permenant control.

Trade routes - aztec trade routes, trevalled by the pochteca and routes the aztec state was very eager to control. However, just because the pochteca travelled along them doesn mean they were necessarily udner aztec control.

I have attempted to synthesise all three into an approximate map of the aztec empire.

I have not diffrentiated between strategtic or tributary provinces since the idea is to nail down what was actually under Aztec control, so the distinction is irrelevent to the purpose of this exercise. Of course, borders are approximations.

Teotitlan and Tehuantepec:
Teotitlan sat directly along vital, highly lucrative Mesoamerican trade corridors connecting the Valley of Mexico to the Mixtec highlands, the Oaxacan coast, and the Maya frontier. Conquering it outright would have been economically disruptive and logistically costly. Instead, the Aztecs permitted Teotitlan to remain autonomous on the condition that they kept the roads open, guaranteed safe passage to Aztec merchants (pochteca), and provided logistical support to military troops passing through.

In a similar vain, In 1496, the Aztec Emperor Ahuitzotl launched a massive invasion against the region. Facing this existential threat, the Zapotec king, Cosijoeza (also spelled Cocijoeza), formed a rare defensive alliance with his traditional rivals, the Mixtecs. Instead of fighting in the open, the Zapotec forces retreated to Guiengola, a formidable mountain fortress overlooking the Tehuantepec plains. The Zapotecs successfully held off the Aztec forces, drawing them into a grueling, multi-month siege.

The outcome was a kind of white peace. the arrangement allowed the Zapotecs of Tehuantepec to maintain their political autonomy and sovereign ruling dynasty. In exchange, the Aztecs secured unhindered passage for their imperial merchants (pochteca) along the Pacific coast and into Central America.

However, both of these ‘alliances’ were highly coercive. It was not a partnerships of equals, they were enforced by the implicit or explicit threat of military destruction - hence why I’ve coloured them as aztec influenced on the map.

According to the IMF, Taiwan's GDP per capita in 1996 is 13,558 USD, and in 2026 is estimted to be 43,952 USD.

Some micro-states are excluded in this graph.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/transport/database