If you’re a visual learner like we are, a good image helps you bring data to life. But if you ever stumbled across a great one, you know it can genuinely change how you see the world. And maps have that power. They are a surprisingly effective tool for understanding the world and giving us a peek into its secrets. By allowing us to explore novel places from the comfort of our own homes, they can even unlock our inner adventurer that’s been deep in winter’s sleep.

Today, we invite you on a journey through this informative corner of Reddit where cartography fans delve into the intriguing treasure trove of territories, statistics, and history. With over 1.9 million devoted members, this online community uncovers some of the freshest and finest maps in a bid to expand our mental horizons.

So let’s appreciate their efforts by scrolling down and devouring ourselves into the newest collection of captivating visualizations. Trust us, they won’t be anything like the ones you saw at school! Be sure to upvote your favorite ones and let us know if you enjoyed learning new things about places you may not have even known about before. For even more informational goodness, check out Bored Panda’s earlier posts on this feature right here, here, and here.

#1 Countries Which Offer Paid Maternity Leave And The Time They Provide For Expecting Mothers

Image credits: No_Negotiation_7176

#2 Map Lovers, I Recently Stopped For 30 Min In A Bookshop Checking Out This Maps Book. Love The Way Visual Information Sticks In Mind!

Image credits: AutomaticLibrarian14

#3 In Case You Didn’t Know, Holland & The Netherlands Are Not Interchangeable

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The map-loving subreddit has been around for quite some time now, celebrating its 11th birthday just last month. This online group continues to be one of the strongest and biggest cartography powerhouses on the platform that amazes thousands of people every day by sharing high-quality images of exciting and novel maps, plans, and geographic illustrations. And sure, it may seem that some of the visuals posted there are pretty nerdy, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating.

The creator of this online group, Patrick McGranaghan, described himself in a previous interview as a “Denver-based techno-geek with a focus on all things geospatial and cartographic and a coding hobbyist with an emphasis in geospatial applications.” He is a land surveyor and a member of #maptime Denver, Rocky Mountain Map Society, NACIS, PLSC, Charles Close Society, and Open Street Map Foundation, just to name a few. He decided to share his passion with the world and start the project in May 2011 while living in Taiwan, and he never looked back.

#4 World Map Cantered On Antarctica

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#5 Nature Map

Image credits: Lovesinica

#6 Every Purple Line Is A Bicycle Lane In The Netherlands

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Patrick revealed that while the subreddit was pretty stable in the past, everything changed the morning when the devastating news about Ukraine and the unprovoked and unjustified attack happening there broke out. “The subreddit usually has between 2,000 and 4,000 users at a given moment on a normal day. That number spiked to a peak of over 20,000 users looking for current maps of the situation there,” he told Bored Panda.

#7 Difference Between Russia’s Unfriendly List Last Year And Now

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#8 Kid Friendly Curse Words

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#9 Percentage Of Population “Absolutely Certain” God Exists In Europe vs. Us

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When it comes to the way people think about cartography these days, the founder of the subreddit believes it is changing. “The previous generation was accustomed to paper maps that they used to navigate. This required skills in orientation and awareness that are no longer necessary with digital maps on mobile devices. Whilst there are lots of articles that eulogize the loss of these skills, I don’t think it’s necessarily all bad,” he explained.

Patrick pointed out that we’re seeing another shift in response to the digital age. “The digital generation has a heightened awareness of how maps can visualize data. The tools to make maps have been democratized. This has increased interest in finding new and clever ways to see spatial data.”

#10 Russia Density Visualized

Image credits: BrasilemMapas

#11 North Korean Election Result Of 2019

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#12 Europe Used To Look Like This, Before It United

Image credits: Over9000Holland

The hottest trends in maps right now, according to him, are those that elucidate some sort of political understanding. “These can be maps of elections, voting districts, gerrymandering, political recognition, voting patterns, etc. Social media is engineered to spur controversy and this is most apparent in hot-button political topics. Politically themed content will garner more discussion, controversy, and comments than most other topics.”

#13 The Most Popular Browsers In Different Countries In 2012 And 2022

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#14 The Shape Of The World, According To Ancient Maps

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#15 The Usual Time Of Eating Dinner In Europe

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The founder of the sub revealed that he developed his burning passion for maps very early and feels extremely grateful to have an activity he loves doing every day. “My family traveled and moved around a lot. My dad taught me how to read maps and I would help him navigate. I used to flip through our Rand McNally atlas to pass hours traveling across the countryside,” he told us.

“Maps are invitations to explore and visit new places. They give security in the knowledge that there’s a way to get to your destination. If all else fails, a map will be your guide.” This feeling that Patrick has carried in his mind throughout his life was what inspired him to create a strong and knowledgeable community where people can share their ideas and excitement about the subject.

#16 Is It A Crime To Knock On The Door And Run Away? (Source: UK Legislation Website – Metropolitan Police Act Of 1839)

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#17 Traffic Fatalities, Eu vs. Us

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#18 Population Density Of Africa!

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“I’ve noticed, especially as I’ve gotten older, that you only have so much time on this planet and every day that is wasted is a day that you’ll never get back. If you want to get out and explore the world you just have to do it,” Patrick added. “Some adventures will cost time and resources, but the real question I ask myself is can I afford not to do some goal I have my heart set on.”

He continued: “There are so many opportunities in this world that it may be hard to choose, but if you wait too long those opportunities will be gone forever.”

#19 Latitude Of World Cities Compared To Europe

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#20 The Yuxi Circle: The World’s Most Overpopulated Area

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#21 Coffee Consumption In Europe

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The founder of the sub was kind enough to go in-depth about the wonderful world of maps and shared a few reasons people make them in the first place. “Sometimes for navigation, sometimes for showing statistical phenomena, and sometimes for fantasy,” he said. “While artistic skill helps, it is not absolutely necessary. The important thing is to make it easy for users to glean useful information. Most maps should have a thesis or a story it is going to tell and this needs to be told through the map.”

#22 I Love How Africa’s Third Longest River Takes Such A Long Route To Get To The Sea From The Source In Southern Guinea

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#23 I Made A 3D Model Based On A 1660 Map Of New Amsterdam / New York

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#24 The State Of Global Democracy In 2022

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But for those devoted cartography fans who have an infinite number of creative ideas flowing in their minds and want to take their work to another level, he explained that a bit of work and skill is required to make their results look less “hasty and skeletal.”

“It is not that they are bad,” Partick said. “It’s just that they don’t know that they can make their maps so much better. I’m talking about things like fonts and information boxes, detail and vicinity maps, adding gradients to water features, thoughtful color choices, shadows behind place markers. The subtleties are what make maps exquisite.”

#25 Will You Be Offered Food When You Are A Guest

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#26 Europe Mapped By Trees Per Kilometre Squared (Tree Density)

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#27 World Map Of Billionaires

Image credits: PygmalionTheVI

“The best way to learn how to do these things is to look at lots of maps and see how other cartographers solve these problems. Imitate the masters. Read a few books on cartography and design. Some of the books that influenced me are Info We Trust by RJ Andrews, Cartography by Kenneth Field, and Things Maps Don’t Tell Us by Armin Lobeck. If you can integrate the ideas in these books you’ll be a league above the average amateur cartographer,” he concluded.

#28 The Red Areas Contain Half Of The Total Population Of Australia

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#29 Most Popular Dog By US State…

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#30 Wine Consumption In Europe

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#31 Price Of Full Tank Of Gasoline (60 L) As A Percentage Of Average Monthly Net Salary Across The World

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#32 Where Europeans Lay Claim To Their Neighboring Countries

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#33 Countries Providing Humanitarian Aid To Ukraine

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#34 Average Male Height In Europe 2022 (In Cm)

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#35 What War Is Currently Being Fought Near You?

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#36 If Only 100 People Lived In Eu

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#37 Share Of Young People Living With Parents

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#38 Europe’s Most Popular Last Names

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#39 The Old Borders Of The German Empire Can Still Be Seen In Present-Day Polish Election Results

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#40 The Most Common Country Of Birth For U.S Immigrants Excluding Mexico

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#41 Arrests Of Anti-War Protesters In Russia

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#42 Punishment Of Breaking Blasphemy Law Around The World

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#43 Europe Black Population (2020)

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#44 South Asia Right Now

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#45 European Countries With “Right To Roam”

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#46 Map Of All Territories Ever Controlled By Greece And Its Predecessors

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#47 A Shaded Relief Map Of Antarctica

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#48 Countries Mentioned In The Polish Anthem

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#49 The Most Popular Passwords In Europe

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#50 Morocco Is Experiencing The Worst Drought In Decades

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#51 The Massive Number Of Rivers In Australia

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#52 Country’s That Cannot Speak Any Foreign Language

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#53 Most Related Search Terms In Naver (Korean Search Engine) Of European Countries

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#54 U.S. State Department Travel Advisory Level For U.S. Nationals By Country (As Of May 1, 2022)

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#55 It’s-A-Me! Ukraine-O!

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#56 Flight Jl42, Tokyo To London, Now Flies Over Alaska Instead Of Russia. Flight Is Scheduled To Take 15 Hr 12 Min, Adding A Full 3 Hours Of Flying Time

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#57 Origin Of US State Names

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#58 Chuí (Brazil) And Chuy (Uruguay), They Also Share The Same Main Avenue. That’s One Of The Places Where The Portuñol/Portunhol Is Highly Spoken

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#59 Christianity By County’s In USA

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#60 European Timezones Corrected To The Natural Daylight

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#61 USA Counties That Have An Indigenous Population Above 1%

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#62 People Are Worried About Climate Change But Don’t Think It Will Affect Them

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#63 Canada, Japan And Spain Are The Top 3 Most Popular Countries People Want To Move To

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#64 Largest Trading Partner Eu vs. USA vs. China

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#65 City Of Montreal With One Line

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#66 World Cup Winners

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#67 The Current Number Of Covid Deaths, Per Every 100,000 Population

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#68 Streetview Coverage In Europe (2022)

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#69 Russia’s Desired Borders According To Peter Zeihan

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#70 Pigs Per Km2 In Europe

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#71 6 Scenarios For Ukraine After Russia Invasion According To Euractiv

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#72 Percentage Of Europeans That Think Their Country Has Benefited From Being A Member Of The Eu

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#73 What If “Did Not Vote” Were A Political Candidate During The 2020 Presidential Election?

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#74 Great Lakes System Profile

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#75 European Street Food Map

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#76 Countries By Gender In Greek Language

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#77 Which European Countries Have Condemned Russia For Their Attack?

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#78 How Many Tanks Are In Service In Each European Country – 2022

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#79 In Light Of The Unprecedented, Historic Early Leak Of The U.S. Supreme Court Decision To Overturn Roe V. Wade, Here’s The Likely Abortion Landscape In The U.S. Later This Summer

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#80 50 Strongest And Weakest Passports

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#81 Most Recent European Monarchs To Die In Battle

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#82 Thomas Jefferson’s Proposed Map For Western States

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#83 Google Results For “Why People From (Country Name)” In Turkish

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#84 Which Countries In The World Celebrate International Women’s Day?

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#85 A Heatmap Of Phones Connected To The Russian Mobile Network In Ukraine Shows Approximate Russian Troop Concentrations In The Country

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#86 Canadian Travel Advisory Country Safety Ratings

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#87 State Positions On The Iraq War

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#88 Us Gdp Split In Half

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#89 The Most Popular Unisex Baby Names By Us State (2020)

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#90 All Countries That Are Either Larger (Blue) Or Smaller (Red) Than All Its Neighbors

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#91 Lebanon Religion Map

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#92 Density Of Railway Networks

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#93 Countries That The United States And Russia Have To Legally Defend

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#94 Grizzly Bear Historic And Current Range

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#95 The Best Places To Be Born, Statistically

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#96 I Finished My Exam Early And Drew A Map Of Europe Out Of Boredom

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#97 If You Are A North Korean Citizen Who Illegally Flees To A Neighboring Country, Which Country Would You Get Deported To?

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#98 India Nightime Luminosity Comparison 2012 vs. 2021. Source – Economic Survey Of India 2022

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#99 Cousin Marriage Legality Around The World

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#100 Non Black Majority Regions In Africa

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#101 Australia, New Zealand And A Tiny Piece Of Antarctica Are Closer To Mainland Norway’s Northernmost Point Than Its Southernmost Point

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#102 Current Absolute Monarchies

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#103 Map Of Europe With The Flag Of The Capital Of Each Country

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#104 The Northern And Southern Halves Of The Island Of Manhattan Are Roughly Equivalent In Population To The States Of North And South Dakota

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#105 Average Land Value By Zip Code In The Us

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#106 “How Europe And Neighbouring Countries Refer To Their Fighter Aircraft”

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#107 Map Of Income Inequality Between Black And White People In The Us – What Is Going On In Wyoming?

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#108 All The Land In Europe That’s Higher Than Denmark Proper

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#109 Does Country Import More From Germany Or France?

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#110 Shortest Route From Santiago De Chile And Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (18,396km)

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#111 Certified Pizzerias That Serve Original Neapolitan Pizza Following International Regulation

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#112 Solidarity With Ukraine

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#113 Eurovision 2022 1st Place Jury Vote (12 Points)

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#114 Excessive Drinking By Us County

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#115 Voting On Draft Resolution A/Es-11/L.1 “Aggression Against Ukraine” In Un

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#116 Are You Closer To The Titanic Or The Moskva?

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#117 Countries Considered As Electoral Democracies By American Organization Freedom House. 2012 And 2022

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#118 The Valles Marineris, The Largest Canyon System On Mars, Compared To The Continental USA And The Grand Canyon

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#119 Spread Of Ash Across The U.S. When The Yellowstone Supervolcano Erupts

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#120 Romania Shaded Relief Map With Official Flag Colors For Elevation Gradients

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#121 Public Land Of Us; Texas Is Surprising

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#122 Countries That Have Been At War With Germany (Since 1871)

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#123 Tibetan Empire Around 800

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#124 Where Palm Trees Are Found In The United States

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#125 How Permanent Daylight Saving Time Would Change Sunrise And Sunset Times

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#126 Does The Country Import More From United Kingdom Or India

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#127 World War 3 As Depicted In CoD: MW2 And CoD: MW3. Russia Occupies Most Of Europe In 24 Hours And Occupies The Entire Us East Coast Within Several Days

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#128 Countries That Have Flags

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Source: boredpanda.com