Simon Kuestenmacher

Guinea’s $23bn Simandou iron ore project is now the world’s biggest new mine. Its ultra high-grade ore could cut emissions in steelmaking, reshape the iron ore market in China’s favour, and potentially transform Guinea’s economy.

FT story: buff.ly/bkri1e1
France24 video: buff.ly/XOQoqdQ

Male circumcision is most common in Africa, the Middle East, and for some reason in the Midwest of the US? Source: buff.ly/vpchRZk

Here @pythonmaps shows us all the wildfires of 2024 in a single view. I can’t remember having ever seen a news report about African wildfires as a resident of Germany, the US, and Australia.

This physical map of North America by the masterful @mtnmapper puts the location of Greenland and Iceland into perspective. You can grab the map here: buff.ly/M3Y4zrV

Curaçao 🇨🇼 will be the smallest nation ever to compete at the football ⚽️ World Cup. That’s like the Australian city of Cairns competing at the world’s biggest sporting event. Herne in Germany would be another example; Dundee in Scotland yet another…

Make housing unaffordable, make higher education more expensive, make young people feel left behind and they will turn their backs on “the system”.

Whaaaaat?! About 70 percent of US Americans haven’t even heard of Larry Page or Sergey Brin? I guess it’s better than being despised…

This map shows the radioactive cloud moving through Europe after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This was super scary and set off a strong anti-nuclear sentiment. To this day the Green political movement is linked to its anti-nuclear roots. Source: buff.ly/30L9Qu9

The Australian population visualized as slimy green mountains? Nope. These are the cultivable areas 🌾🌿🌱🌻 displayed like mountains. Actually a cool map by @MBattaglia07!

This visualization by @pythonmaps (a must follow account) shows global shipping lanes in the gorgeous ocean-centered Spillhaus projection. Extremely pleasing to look at!

Say what you will about Trump but he kept hurricanes away.

Urgent question to the linguists: as a Bavarian today, would I be able to understand a Bavarian time traveler from 1815?! How many of these dialects would still be comprehensible by the current population?

Before the US had cars, the railroads ruled supreme. This map shows the rail network just before the Civil War started (1860). Source: buff.ly/1ElfNae

I’ve just seen this data showing the growing number of young people in the UK and US you aren’t working, studying, or raising children. Here is a link to a column we’re I’m exploring the same phenomenon in Australia and its implications: www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2024...

In Arkansas every 13th person you randomly pick out of a crowd will be on at least their 3rd marriage. Thank you @vinemapper for this bit of demographic trivia!

I like that sports is blessed with more and more data visualizations these days. This football chart is mad! Good old Haaland has a goal scoring rate TWICE as good as Mbappe on international level.

Half of US Americans now have a passport. In 1990 (when Home Alone hit the cinemas) only 5 percent of the population had a passport. Americans became richer and more avid travelers in the last few decades.

This map by @terriblemaps goes straight to the #badgeographyjoke vault to be preserved for prosperity!

Kind of a shame, so many people will be missing out on seeing their own country compete in the world's biggest sporting event!

As an unashamed fan of Argentinian food this is a must share for me. Source: buff.ly/Hw8Ny8B

Good news! Age corrected cancer mortality rates point down, down, down in Canada. Source: buff.ly/HiINIbn

I snatched this chart from @valent10francois. We see the social spending in France by age. Cutting entitlements? Usually reference is made about the orange slice (unemployment) or the green slice (family benefits). The blue retirement spending mustn’t be touched.

Look at this list. How many of the names do you recognize besides Michael Phelps? These are all outrageous athletes and are mostly unknown.

Some pointless geography trivia for your enjoyment. HT @geodatarankings

Who would've known that humble Ecuador is the🦐 top shrimp exporting nation on the planet?! HT @latinometrics

A really cool way of shows the age of both parents for babies born in the US in 2024. Source: buff.ly/vpchRZk

Ok, Taylor Swift and Coldplay ran gigantic tours in the last few years but I still think Mozart’s European tour from 1763 to 1766 was more impressive. Source: buff.ly/vpchRZk

Chart shows the nutrient density of high-protein foods. Not only are beans a wonder food, but they are also cheap. Great food item! Source: buff.ly/vpchRZk

Really cool bird's-eye view shows Constantinople (or Istanbul, Turkey) in 1453. Source: buff.ly/lIx0vZC

Across Europe people get married later in life. This chart shows male age at first marriage merrily moving upwards over the last three decades. Source: buff.ly/vpchRZk