Maps seemed to be everywhere in 2013, a trend I like to think we encouraged along with August's 40 maps that explain the world. Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. You might consider this, then, a collection of maps meant to inspire your inner map nerd. I've searched far and wide for maps that can reveal and
![40 more maps that explain the world](https://cdn-ak-scissors.b.st-hatena.com/image/square/0d6a0faa93047b68c21b89a2904533d189dbe9ce/height=288;version=1;width=512/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fresizer%2F2CjPNwqvXHPS_2RpuRTKY-p3eVo%3D%2F1484x0%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fpb%2Fresources%2Fimg%2Ftwp-social-share.png)