Cartograms are special types of maps that show data in a creative way. Unlike regular maps that focus on how big places are or their physical features, cartograms change the size of areas based on specific data values. Here’s how cartograms are different from regular maps:

1. Data-Based Resizing:

• In a cartogram, the size of each area changes according to the data it shows, like population, money made (GDP), or disease rates.
• For example, in a population cartogram, a huge country like India, which has about 1.4 billion people, will look much bigger than a tiny country like Iceland with around 370,000 people, even though Iceland is actually smaller in the real world.

2. Better Comparisons:

• Cartograms make it easier to compare different regions. For instance, they can show that Nigeria, with a population of about 206 million, takes up a significant spot on the world map.
• This method can highlight social, economic, or environmental trends that might not be clear with a regular map.

3. Focus on Important Issues:

• By changing the shape of places, cartograms can underline important problems, like the impacts of climate change or where people are moving.
• For example, a cartogram showing CO2 emissions would make the U.S. and China look much larger than countries with less pollution.
• A map showing poverty rates could spotlight areas that really need help, helping leaders decide where to focus their efforts.

4. Showing Connections and Patterns:

• Cartograms can also show how areas are linked, like trade routes, by adjusting distances based on how much they trade.
• This helps visualize big ideas like globalization, showing how regions work together economically, no matter how far apart they are.

In conclusion, cartograms provide a new and exciting way to show data visually. They are a powerful tool that helps us understand geography, something regular maps can’t do as effectively.