Show World is a morphing world map for visualizing statistics

Show World (actually written with an inexplicable (R) mark in the middle) is a world map with a twist: you choose a metric, and the Flash-based map twists and morphs to reflect it.

The screenshot above shows a world map, as you've probably recognized. But the reason the map looks so weird is that the size of each country reflects the amount of poultry that it raises. When you mouse over a country, you can see an exact number, and now we all know that Brazil houses 6.5 percent of the world's chicken population.

This is not the first time that I've posted about such a tool; I think it's actually the third or fourth such tool that I've covered. And as with most of said tools, Show World purports to display a slew of statistics, like causes of death, cell phone penetration, and a whole bunch of other metrics. As always, it's interesting and fun to watch, but the data must be taken with a large, crunchy grain of salt. Ironically, their page listing all data providers is the least polished part of the site, and it even broke mid-way on my browser (stopped at FIFA). Still, the providers that it did display seemed reputable enough.

All in all, it's an interesting, visual way to learn a few new tidbits about this world we live in. Just try not to get too morbid.

Tags: education, map, show world, ShowWorld, statistics