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Picture: The World In America

andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com — Each state is represented by a foreign country with the same GDP. I'm struck by one obvious thing. The District of Columbia has the same GDP as New Zealand. Now imagine if no one in New Zealand were allowed to vote for their own government, and they were governed by the Senate in Australia as a colony. Yep: that's how it is in America - the once-co

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  • Pseudorious, on 10/11/2007, -102/+13This has made the front page several times and is old as hell.

    Buried as a duplicate.
    • GRTWHT, on 10/11/2007, -9/+65Looks like it's on it way there again, doesn't it?

      Who cares if it's old or not, folks digg what they want to, whether you like it or not.
    • HarryBauzonia, on 10/11/2007, -9/+68So screw those of us who have never seen it, huh?
    • chris9902, on 10/11/2007, -13/+7Iran have invaded, Launch the nukes!
    • Pseudorious, on 10/11/2007, -27/+12@GRTWHT

      You'll notice under the bury options one reads "Duplicate Story." It's there for a reason.

      @HarryBauzonia

      People can vote as they like. Burying as a duplicate is not a conspiracy against you. I personally couldn't care less whether or not you've seen it before.
    • xatx2, on 10/11/2007, -13/+40***** you, you're old as hell
      • themastersb, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I think you have 1 too many *s there
    • HMTKSteve, on 10/11/2007, -3/+23Buried as blog spam. The first line in the article says he got the image from ANOTHER BLOG!!!!

      Link to the source people.
    • Rhino2, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2""So screw those of us who have never seen it, huh?""

      yes indeed.

      Start with me first. I'm horny.

    • HenvY, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1@treo
      yeah, but now it's out of order and you look like a tard.
    • Treoinmypocket, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@HenvY

      LOL - good catch - I realized that as I was closing my edit and then thought "eh, no biggie".

      Kind of further strengthens my point about wikipedia - useless as a fact checking source but, its a great place to start.
    • swOhio, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Uzbekistan? Come on Wyoming, step it up a notch ya slackers.
    • twrife, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1@swohio
      I'm from Wyoming. We have a $1.8b surplus. Pretty damn good.
    • Baryn, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1The first comment always gets buried. HILarious.
    • themastersb, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I dont want to be in Texas
  • tdrizzle, on 10/11/2007, -2/+48Really? New Jersey has the same GDP as Russia? I feel sorry for Russia.
  • ravan46, on 10/11/2007, -0/+32Orignial blog of this. With MUCH better info


    http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/131-us-states-renamed-for-countries-with-similar-gdps/
  • HarryBauzonia, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13The GDP of little bitty New Jersey = Russia?
    Damn.

    West Virginia should be ashamed though. ....= Algeria. That's what they get for seceding from Virginia.
    • winmywii, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Yeah, but our new state motto is "Open For Business". Everyone knows that putting new highway signs up is a sure way to bring in businesses!

      I love it here, but there are no opportunities.
    • Urusai, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3More like, that's what Algeria gets for seceding from France.
    • nhinsch, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1That's what Virginia gets for seceding from the United States!

      (Like anyone will read this comment now that it's so hard to get to...)
  • 10001110101, on 10/11/2007, -2/+20Texas is Canada?!?! Say it ain't so!!
    • Paranoidmarvin, on 10/11/2007, -13/+5Yeah, 'cos that would be giving Texas too much credit.
    • zabaf, on 10/11/2007, -17/+8Texas is not equal to Canada in GDP.
      I realize I got this from wikipedia, but thinking any state can have the GDP of a G8 Country is ridiculous.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada Canada GDP= 1.165 trillion
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_GDP_%28nominal%29 Texas GDP= 1.065 million
    • qualish, on 10/11/2007, -0/+15@ zabaf

      Umm... California? 1.727 trillion, according to your same Wikipedia source. Don't be a player hater. And Texas GDP at 1.065 million? Did you even read that?

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_US_States_by_GDP_%28nominal%29
    • TheCricket, on 10/11/2007, -1/+11That would be 1,065,891 million, AKA 1.065 trillion, for Texas. You think the entire state of Texas produces a mere 1 million dollars a year?
    • texpundit, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7"Texas GDP= 1.065 million"

      Ummmm... are you sure that isn't "trillion?"
    • texpundit, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9and From the Description: "The District of Columbia has the same GDP as New Zealand. Now imagine if no one in New Zealand were allowed to vote for their own government, and they were governed by the Senate in Australia as a colony."

      I live in DC now and let me tell you, any city that consistently votes a crackhead/drunk driver/waste of skin like Marrion Barry into office as mayor and onto the city council...the people up here are obviously too dumb to vote on anything, much less be given statehood.
    • boituma, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Nominal GDP is a valid statistic when comparing across economies with a single monetary policy (basically uniform inflation), such as between US states. However it is not descriptive across economies with varying rates of inflation. Nominal GDP would artificially inflate the GDPs of countries with higher rates of inflation.

      Better yet, use purchasing power parity for a comparison of living standards. One of the main uses for GDP figures (and even worse, GNP) is simply to burnish e(conomics)-penis.
  • actionmann50, on 10/11/2007, -10/+2It's so
  • Krovvy, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10Sweet North Carolina gets to be Sweden. d(-_-)b

    Botten Anna, high speed internet, and...
    • marnaq, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3...and? yepp. that's pretty much sums it up ;-)

      srsly, sweden pwns.
    • kuzotz, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1lol Oklahoma is the Philippines....

      Tennessee is Saudi Arabia
  • Brick86, on 10/11/2007, -2/+13Ahhhhhhhh Motherland
    • solonGFX, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2"dugg for WTF reference"

      You don't say...
      And you actually mean "The End Of The World" reference
  • danielrh9, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19Some of this are just eerily appropriate. Such as California as France and Alabama as Iran.
    • damagingd, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2and Iowa being run by Hugo Chavez
      • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Hugo rocks. "Eres un borrracho Mister Dangeerrr" Long live Hugo.
    • fbeecher, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1And Minnesota as Norway... Uff da!
  • arsemaster, on 10/11/2007, -5/+59California = France
    Wine? Check
    Smoking Ban? Check
    Race riots? Check
    Movies? Check
    All France needs to do is elect a Cyborg president and they'll be virtually the same place.
  • Sparkster185, on 10/11/2007, -2/+25So some guy find a map in another guys blog and copies it to his own blog. How original.
    • ipugh, on 10/11/2007, -8/+2I read this on Freakonomics blog a couple of weeks ago.. lol

      buried
  • mikefitz2, on 10/11/2007, -15/+8Wow. Just shows you how much more significant America is to this world than the rest of the countries out there. I mean seriously, our states have half the population of these other countries and the same GDP figures!

    Feels good to be #1!
    • BrK1, on 10/11/2007, -6/+3Absolutely. And just think of how much more valuable our country would be if only we used the metric system...
    • mikefitz2, on 10/11/2007, -10/+5Mexico — Population: 108,700,891 (July 2007 est.)
      Illinois Population, 2006 estimate, 1 2831 970

      Canada — Population: 33,390,141 (July 2007 est.)
      Texas Population, 2006 estimate, 23 507 783

      population of France in 2003 60 144 000
      california Population, 2006 estimate, 36 457 549

      all being equal in GDP

      The information is out there. The numbers speak for themselves. They call us 'rednecks' and accuse us of being 'unjust'. ***** you, money talks and we're sick of your whining.
    • Skavenblight, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7Money doesn't make you any smarter, redneck.
    • mikefitz2, on 10/11/2007, -10/+4Funny, where I come from you are paid what you're worth to society. From where do you hail?
    • Skavenblight, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9Paid what you're worth to society? Do I need to remind you how stupidly overpaid CEOs are?

      Rednecks can still manage to be rich. Just look at Bush.
    • diggbot7, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Take a look at your deficit sometime, loser. The entire US economy is a house of cards that is about to come tumbling down.

      Good thing you all got guns. Cause in another ten or twenty years it's gonna be a massive free-for-all.
    • texpundit, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2"Rednecks can still manage to be rich. Just look at Bush."

      Bush was born a Connecticut yankee... and y'all can have him back, thank you very much.
    • hydroplane, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2Or does it mean you're more greedy and willing to sell out your future resources for present profit?
    • Zique, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Hey, congrats. Let me know when your country reaches EU's GDP.
  • englishganxta, on 10/11/2007, -26/+2I just have one question:

    WHERE THE ***** IS ENGLAND!?

    Or any GB country for that matter...
    • fuzzmeister, on 10/11/2007, -7/+14No state has the GDP of a G8 country, so they aren't on there. Not that hard to figure out...
    • mikefitz2, on 10/11/2007, -6/+4Show me a state with $2.346 Trillion GDP please.

      Dugg Down.
    • GGzah, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11umm, yeah, Canada's on there. We are in the G8.

      "Anyone can miss Canada all tucked away down there... "
      - Homer
    • BabyWookie, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5@ fuzzmeister:

      Russia, Canada, France?!?

      Though Russia has a much better economy now than it had when this map was created.
    • fuzzmeister, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2My bad, I took his word that there were no G8 countries there without checking myself.
  • slipgrid, on 10/11/2007, -2/+4Um, no taxation without representation!
  • DAaaMan64, on 10/11/2007, -10/+2I think the California = France this is true but I don't understand the Oregon = Israel thing. I am Washington resident and I don't see that at all.
    • tehpwnrate, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Well, Oregon and Israel each have a "GDP" of about 140 billion.. so yeah.
    • cphelps, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8Did you read what the map means? Or are you just doing a stare and compare of state VS country?
  • mwayne, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2"The District of Columbia has the same GDP as New Zealand. Now imagine if no one in New Zealand were allowed to vote for their own government, and they were governed by the Senate in Australia as a colony."

    Move to VA or MD
  • mikes1, on 10/11/2007, -3/+15The swipe at DC government is disingenuous. DC has never had representation, and people live there by choice. If they want representation, they should move to a state.
    • Balanced, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3DC's really not that big, after all. Commuting IS an option
    • CimCookoo, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1Yeah, and if the colonists wanted to have a vote, well they should have just emigrated to another country or stayed in England. They knew what they were getting when they came here. Stupid colonists always trying to live in a true representative democracy.
  • Zbrah, on 10/11/2007, -2/+20This map would piss a lot of rednecks off if it wasn't explained.

    • mikefitz2, on 10/11/2007, -9/+4I'm pretty sure most 'rednecks' are well aware that their states, despite having significantly lower population figures, are outperforming non-G8 countries by more than 200% GDP.

      America's shoulders are sore, we're tired of being the only ones pulling our ***** weight in this world.
    • Skavenblight, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4You're right. I guess you have no choice but to make war on the entire world then. Praise America!
  • break99, on 10/11/2007, -26/+6Arrogant sons of bitches...

    No wonder so many americans still believe in creationism (you know, the center of the universe and all...)

    The land of the free my ass by the way... Better off in Canada where there's still real freedom (here).
    • thcobbs, on 10/11/2007, -13/+7Creationism doesn't negate evolution.

      In my view, God laid the ground rules of the Universe and then set them in motion (the big bang). Since then, everything has evolved according to those rules. How ever long that took. (And no, I don't believe that dinosaurs are put there to test our faith).

      Oh, and I'm just as free here in the USA now as I was when I was born.
    • tehpwnrate, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12Some Americans believe in a geocentric theory because our GDP is so much bigger than anyone else's?
    • mwayne, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9Tell me about your hate speech laws, oh free one
    • thcobbs, on 10/11/2007, -4/+5There are no laws against hate speech.

      I can say whatever vile, hateful thing I want. I may not like the consequences other Americans (who are also free) would impose on me... but there is no law against hate speech.
    • jeffeb3, on 10/11/2007, -3/+5Why move to Canada when you can just go to Texas? They look the same to me on the map.
    • Ninja337, on 10/11/2007, -6/+2I'd rather live in Iran than Canada.
    • airiox, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4break99's 13th birthday is tomorrow, WOOOO!
    • TenebrousX, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@ thcobbs -
      mwayne was referring to Canada
    • Skavenblight, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5You'd rather live in Iran than in Canada? I suppose your parents were siblings?
  • ImYourRealDad, on 10/11/2007, -0/+7Now, I know this is based off of the GDP scale, but Massachusetts should totally be Ireland.
  • thcobbs, on 10/11/2007, -4/+22Let me give you a little hint about this, DC people.

    YOU'RE NOT IN A STATE. DC is just a construct. Don't like it? Move a bit into Maryland or Virginia.
    • Balanced, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Technically it's a "District"... And it is, really a moderately large city at best.
  • MikeonTV, on 10/11/2007, -5/+12Canada = Texas

    They couldn't be more wrong
  • cityscape, on 08/01/2008, -3/+2@englishganxta

    Let me help you out, the UK GDP is larger than any individual state. Aren't the top 5 countries (in no order) in GDP: USA, China, Japan, UK & Germany?
  • UtahApocalyse, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1Is this the new map after the NWO takes over?
  • zengonzo, on 10/11/2007, -3/+1 Poor Pakistan ..
  • SirPsycho, on 10/11/2007, -6/+1Brazil has nearly 200 Million people and I'm pretty sure that New York doesn't.
    • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Brazil has the hottest women on the planet and I'm pretty sure that New York doesn't :P
  • brianbennett, on 10/11/2007, -9/+6America! ***** Yeah!
  • tobrown779, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13Since when is Hong Kong a country?
    • monkeyrun, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Hong Kong is not a country, but it is a separate political and economic entity.
      • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I think that does not answer the question LOL
  • Navicerts, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2According to the CIA fact book the GDP of Hong Kong is $258.8 billion. I think this map is in error.
  • doktorrocket, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9FTA, in reference to DC: "Now imagine if no one in New Zealand were allowed to vote for their own government..."

    DC residents elect their Mayor (occasionally with disastrous consequences) and other local administrators, and have 3 electoral college votes for US presidential elections. They lack representation in the federal congress, but it's not like they never get to vote.

    • SteelChicken, on 10/11/2007, -8/+1NO NO MUST BASH THE USA

      many states have GDP's better than most countries, and the D.C. is a special case (seat of the federal government) but we MUST make fun of the US some way, some how, even though we compare it to a country whose GDP is outpaced by what amounts to a bunch of useless politicians surrounded by a big ghetto.

      ZOMGBBQOWNED.
  • canha, on 10/11/2007, -23/+2Ooohh..it´s AMERICA....the toughest country in the world. AND THEY RULE US ALL! Praise to the U.S. (/sarcasm)
    • thcobbs, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12Oh, shut up you ***** prick.
    • SteelChicken, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3You're a shining example of what people should strive to be.
    • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Truth is until you manage to play decent soccer you can't earn any international respect!
  • Cephas72, on 10/17/2007, -22/+5All these countries have several things America completely lacks - history and culture.
    • tobrown779, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9If I'm not mistaken everyplace has "history". Just some place's history is more interesting than others.
    • Zbrah, on 10/11/2007, -3/+7America has a lot of culture considering its age...
    • navster15, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8Wait, so blue jeans, Coca Cola and Rock 'n' Roll don't count as culture?
      • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I have to admit that running with goofy helmets and tight lycra pants carrying an ovoid is somewhat original!
    • HubbertWins, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5Yes, most of these countries were busy slaughtering each other hundreds of years before the U.S. even existed. That is the "history" of which you speak.
      • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Wow, are you just being a conscious hypocrite? You haven't wasted any time slaughtering everything that disregards the american imperial rule in the last +/- 100 years! Oh, but you call those with goofy video game names like operation spreading freedom and sands of liberty, back off!
    • BornLegend, on 10/11/2007, -4/+3You're still descendants of europe.
      So it's your ancestors that slaughtered each other too.
      Remember that the only "true" americans are the indians.
      You are all just ex-europeans. =P
    • GGzah, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8I'm not American and even I will call ***** on you.
      America may be a lot of things, but lacking in history and culture they are not.
    • wayback09, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2It does, and it is vastly different! Something other countries cannot, do not, and will never understand American culture. Europe is NOT the only place in the world with culture. Get over yourself already, Eurotard. Native Americans don't have culture? Mexican immigrants do not have culture they brough with them? European immigrants do not have culture they brough with them? You create a culture.
    • wayback09, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0BROUGHT***
      Just cause a country has a different culture then your own criteria for it, does not mean it does not have one.
  • jeffeb3, on 10/11/2007, -4/+5GO FINLAND. FInland Finland.. Finland The country where I'm wanting to beee.
  • zadadka, on 10/11/2007, -13/+4"America has a lot of culture considering its age..."

    So has a petrie dish....
  • markp93, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Hey, that is pretty cool, since Spam is pretty popular in Hawaii -and- Nigeria!
  • eaione, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1is the uk on it?
    • batmanuel1988, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1nope UK has a GDP that is much higher than any individual state. I think the highest country on the list is France who ranks sixth in GDP. Japan, German, the UK and China have a high enough GDP so they are not matched by one state.
    • dcoxen, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Not that much higher
  • Timer, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1The sad thing is that Israel is a lot bigger in this map than what it really is. (A LOT bigger...)
  • jjinva, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6This map pretty much sums up why we don't have to use the metric system.
  • Piggycow, on 10/11/2007, -6/+5I don't understand what this map is even comparing, Texas' GDP isn't anywhere near Canada's so that just doesn't make sense. Then again maybe I'm just missing something
    • doktorrocket, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5I think you're missing the fact the Canada's GDP is within 6% of Texas's (1.13 Bil vs 1.07 Bil), based on the various 2006 sources I could find. So close enough for a silly exercise such as this :)
  • AnotherThought, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Every name is there is a country by itself except for Hong Kong... wow go HK!
  • griz, on 10/11/2007, -1/+8What I find interesting is that the GDP of the US is equal to all these countries combined.
    • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Well, probably because the US pays for things like bottled water and software licenses, that's weird you might say but it add a lot of zeros to that figure lol
  • analbumcover96, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4time to nuke Alabama i guess
  • cupofjavaa, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2according to a reliable source, the most 'powerful' (not in terms of GDP im guessing) are ranked as:

    United States
    Germany
    United Kingdom
    France
    Japan
    Canada
    Sweden
    China
    Norway
    Netherlands
    • Veritate, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1"a reliable source"

      Oh, that's convincing. /sarcasm
    • Monstradamus, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Sweden, Norway, Netherlands? ... Whatever you say o.O
  • SHuisman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Netherlands got a nice part in comparison with their size...
  • AzleGamer, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0Should Texas be Mexico? Hell, how about New Mexico be Mexico...
  • Analogic, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1I didn't know Hong Kong was a country......
  • KKat, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Note to Andrew Sullivan: GDP does not equal population, or voting rights. It does not work that way.
    By this reasoning, I should have 10 votes based on my tax bracket. And that doesn't even work in Chicago.

    Leave it to Atlantic Monthly to take a chart that dramatically shows how much better we operate than most nations, even combined, and turn it into an anti-American rant.
  • Zervas, on 10/11/2007, -5/+0had to make my state israel, eh?
    • nanotaboada, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Well you see, they're kind of used to takeover other people's land ;-)
  • andre75, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Huh, and so many people complain here.
  • andre75, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2sorry dupe, plz. vote down
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