Maps That Portray the U.S. More Accurately Than Anything We Learned in School

When talking about economic development, the United States is the world’s highest economic and political power. The US Gross Domestic Product represents about a quarter of the international economy. But inside the country, how is the GDP activity defined? In most countries, the main economic activity is in small areas, and it’s not different in the US.

This map shows that although The US is one of the largest countries in the world by land area, half of its GDP comes from merely these 23 little orange areas. At the same time, the other 50% comes from the vast blue area. These small orange swaths are not only the most potent economic part of the country but also the largest site in population.