JCC The Interesting Maps Thread

In Tolkien’s sketches I think helper dried up or vastly shrunk by the Second/Third Ages. And I believe that long mountain chain is supposed to be the Red Mountains, that starts near the Iron hills.[/QUOTE]
Tolkien's only large-scale maps of Middle-Earth predate LOTR. While Christopher Tolkien originally speculated that the Sea of Rhun might be the remnants of the Sea of Helcar, later material made it clear that the Sea of Rhun in its modern form was present in the First Age. The publication of the latest collection of unpublished material The Nature of Middle-Earth indicated that the Sea of Helcar was just off to the east of the well-known Middle-Earth map. As the Red Mountains were to the immediate east of that, well...
... the other issue is that we know there are two 'birthplaces' of the dwarves to the east, with the separation at least as great as the distance between the Blue and Misty Mountains. The Red Mountains are an obvious choice for one, of course, but that means there's probably at least one significant mountain range a bit of way to the east.
Also, with Tolkien looking at some rough similarities between Eurasia and Middle-Earth, I would expect that the lands eastward would stretch a little farther.
Yes, I spent way to much time thinking upon such things.

 

Filipino cat: “Ngiyaw!”
Peruvian cat: “¿Que?”

 

Me every time I eat pirohy after reading this

 

I think there's something similar on the Atlantic coast of southeastern USA too.

 

The United States with borders based on natural geography:




and the United States if each state had equal population:





and the United States by economic/cultural/demographic region:

 

Amazing.

 

Vermpshire, Central Carolina, Kentessee, Indihio, Nolouisiana, Middle Dakota, Portlandia, Arizfornia, East Oregon, Idutah, Denverana, and Lower Wyoming are finally not forgotten!

(did I miss one? )

 

Utah still dominating that index . . .

 

Yeah I kind of want whatever the backstory for that one is, meanwhile this data viz company is like “My God, we have to explain the statistically insignificant North Dakota/South Dakota divide! The people need to know!”

 

Mormons tend to have more kids. I would guess there's a general correlation across the board here.

Amazing.

 

I mean if there’s genuinely that much of a discrepancy in average family size causing it - and I can believe it - that, uh, also seems more noteworthy (and verifiable from the census data) than the North Dakota thing.

 

Looks like I've got the high score up here in Maine. Ayuh.

 

Always had a suspicion you were Santa Claus

 

Attention @Sarge can you confirm?

 

I see what you did theyah, ayuh.

 

Map of the Stars closest to the Solar System

 

That website is awesome.