Category Archives: Cartography

10 Years, 10 Adventures

Posted on October 26, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

For the last ten years, Sandrine and Geoffrey (now accompanied by their son Victor and pet dog) have been documenting their travels and sharing their photos, stories, itineraries, and budgets with the world on their popular travel blog. Now, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartography, Europe, Maps, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s Only A Paper Moon or Globe

Posted on August 22, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I have always been fascinated by globes. When I was a wee lad I had a globe/lamp combo on my nightstand and I would spin the globe and dream of breaking out. I even made my own paper mache globe … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cartography, Maps | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Emptying Europe

Posted on May 7, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Where Europe’s Population is Shrinking, is an excellent example of how large-scale spatial data and clear visual design can come together to tell a nuanced geographic story. In this case, the story is one of Europe’s rural depopulation and how … Continue reading →

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France and Canada share a border (really)

Posted on April 29, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Canada and France share a maritime border, despite the ejection of France from North America in the Seven Years’ War. Article 6 of the 1763 Treaty of Paris allowed France to retain the tiny islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon in the … Continue reading →

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Discover Britain with Geograph

Posted on April 19, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Geograph: You don’t have to be an Anglophile to get lost in this wonderful project. It’s a bit like like Google maps, but crowdsourced  – “The Geograph® Britain and Ireland project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartography, Europe, Maps, Photography | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

New York, New York

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I was astonished by the new website isometric nyc. This project offers an amazingly detailed and incredibly comprehensive isometric pixel art map of New York City – not just Manhattan either, but all the other boroughs too, including my ancestral land of … Continue reading →

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Occupation Cartography

Posted on January 27, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Over the last year or two I’ve seen many social media posts about “occupying powers” and accusations about nations or peoples being “colonizers”. I’ve been thinking that maps may help clarify some of the confusion.    

Posted in Asia, Cartography, Maps, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Too Many Rivers To Cross

Posted on December 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Possibly inspired by All Streets, Ben Fry’s map of all the streets in the US, Nelson Minar built a US map out of all the rivers in the country.  

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September Song (hot, hot, hot)

Posted on September 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Here in North America meteorological Fall started on September 1st. But if you live here and have been paying attention, you may have noticed that the usual cooling after the Summer season has been arriving late. That’s because the Autumn … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartography, Maps, Tech, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

“It takes a train to cry”

Posted on September 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

  Although I reside in the Philadelphia metro area, I frequently use the New Jersey Transit system to travel to New York City. When it works smoothly, the trip is quick, convenient and relatively inexpensive compared to Amtrak. However, NJTransit … Continue reading →

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