This map is an example of a cartogram. In a cartogram, the area of the land is dictated by another value than "true area." In this example, this map of the world shows area of a country based on the percentage of threatened and endangered species by country. Therefore, the size of a country on a map is the result of the number of endangered species. Cartograms are a rather clever way of looking at information. It is a lot more efficient, in my opinion, at displaying information than traditional maps. It really helps to make the information pop. We can see that the United States is almost completely indistinguishable, the whole eastern half is gone. Yet, in the western U.S. we see deep reds and a deformation in the area. This is because, according to a cartogram, these places are high in threatened and endangered species, while the eastern half of the country, according to this map, has none.
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