Design
The Weird Geography of Population Density
What if people were mapped like mountains?
Picture Himalayan-class mountain ranges, composed not of rock but towering precipices of stacked human bodies—that’s the weird geology summoned up in this visualization of earth’s population as geologic masses.
Marnix Hamelberg, a freelance GIS specialist in Amsterdam who does spatial analysis and map design, created "Earth According to Population Density" to convey the humongous amount of flesh, blood, and bone plodding about on the planet. Flat, grassy-looking “valleys” represent areas of relatively low population densities, while white-capped “mountains” show urbanized regions with teeming, tightly packed populations.