All roads do lead to Rome
I am a sucker for a good map. Maps shape the way we think about the world and influence us in subtle ways, as I have discussed here. That is why I think it is important to look at the world using different kinds of maps and literally change your perspective of the world.
Take for instance isochrone maps. While maps typically try to show the distance from point A to point B, isochrone maps show the travel time. The picture below, for example, shows the travel time from London to different corners of the world. The map on top shows travel time from London in 1914, when we could cross oceans only on ships. The dark red area covers places that could be reached from London within five days, the light red area reaching New York City and Chicago, and so on. Note also, how travel times were dependent on ocean currents and trade winds, so that you could travel faster from East to West than from North to South. This dependency on currents and winds also provides a clue to a fun pub quiz question:
Which part of the world was last settled by humans? We know they started in Africa and then moved out in different directions. Ignoring Antarctica, where did humans arrive last?
The answer to this question will be given at the end of this post.
But coming back to maps, the bottom isochrone map shows travel times from London in 2016. How much our world has sped up can be seen by looking at the legend which is no longer in five-day intervals but quarter-day intervals. In other words, our world has literally become smaller when measured in travel times instead of the usual distances.
Isochrone maps of London
Source: Rome2Rio.
But maps can also be used to provide answers to interesting questions. We all know the saying that all roads lead to Rome. That might have been the case during the time of the Roman Empire, but it runs out that it still is the case. The people at Move-lab have randomly chosen almost 500,000 starting points all over Europe and tried to find a road connection to Rome. Turns out it works all the time as the map below shows. And that means that all roads lead to Paris, Berlin, or London as well (as can be seen in the cool maps they show on their website).
All roads lead to Rome
Source: Move-lab.
Similarly, if you include flight routes, it will not surprise you that it is possible to reach an airport in Rome from any other airport in the world. You might have to switch planes a couple of times, but you will eventually get there.
Our world today is truly interconnected and people, as well as information, spread much faster than they did in the past. This, of course, should also be reflected in your thinking. If you are thinking of stock markets or the economy in isolation, you will often be surprised by weird behaviour that emerges seemingly out of nothing. Yet, the behaviour could have been anticipated if you also kept an eye on fixed income markets or developments on the political or social front. If we had paid more attention to a virus outbreak in a Chinese province in early 2020, our world today would probably look much different today. The isochrone maps above as well as the connection map should serve as a reminder that what happens in China, doesn’t stay in China. At least not in the 21st century.
The solution to the pub quiz: The last place on Earth that was settled by humans was the South Island of New Zealand. The fact that trade winds move from East to West or from West to East means that for many centuries it was much more difficult and dangerous to sail North to South or South to North. Thus, the North Island was settled from Australia pretty soon, while up until c. 750 years ago the South Island remained untouched by human civilisation. A full explanation is available in this entertaining podcast here.