Generally stereotypes aren’t encouraged but this may be the exception to that rule. A 17 year-old Slovakian artist has created the Map of Stereotypes and it’s quite the sight to behold.
Part of Martin Vargic’s recently released book featuring a collection of 64 maps and infographics, the incredibly detailed drawings are designed to encourage the reader to explore the world like never before. Titled Vargic’s Miscellany of Curious Maps, the book claims to be “The atlas of everything you never knew you needed to know.”
But back to the Map of Stereotypes, which features 1800 highly detailed stereotypes and pop culture references of countries and regions around the world. Based on a normal world map, he spent three months researching sources including TV, online forums, popular movies and books to generate the most widely accepted stereotypes for the map.
While granted most stereotypes are normally negative, Vargic points out there’s some positives ones too, including the belief that the Japanese and Koreans are smart, the French are romantic and Canadians are generally considered to be polite.
Speaking to Buzzfeed, Vargic said he was “sure there were some people who took offence at the map and misunderstood its main purpose.” However he added that he was surprised as “the online response was generally much more positive than he originally expected.”
Published by Penguin, Vargic’s Miscellany of Curious Maps: Mapping out the Modern World will retail for $45. You can find out more at Penguin.
In the meantime take a look at some close up images of the incredibly detailed Map of Stereotypes and tell us if you agree with his handiwork?
