I rented a car on the weekend and was reminded of this great @mattsurelee cartoon. This is exactly what the Europcar counter looked like at Sydney airport 🤣🤣🤣

You can still “see” a 1100-year-old Viking frontier in England through place names. “-by” and “-thorpe” cluster in the former Danelaw, while “-ton” and “-ham” dominate elsewhere. Not a clean border, but a lasting cultural imprint. Source: buff.ly/NlTRNKY

How to (finally) grow regional Australia again Regional Australia remains the beating heart of the nation. Here's how to ensure it not only survives, but gows.

Regional Australia is the backbone of the nation, yet it keeps losing ground. Population growth continues to concentrate in the capitals, leaving many regional towns stuck in a slow demographic squeeze. In my column, I explore what it actually takes to grow a regional town again:

This map shows where adult ADHD rates are skyrocketing in Australia. WA has higher rates of diagnosis. The article includes interactive data for your neighbourhood to. Best practice use of data in journalism. Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04...

This map shows income per capita in the year 1300 across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, with regions shaded by income brackets. Ancient China wasn’t the egalitarian society its sometimes made out to be. Source: buff.ly/wnOaQci

This #badgeographyjoke is putting New Zealand on the geopolitical map!

Fun architecture trivia: The sails of the Sydney Opera House are sections of a single sphere. Construction was controversial, costly and slow—14 years, 10,000 workers, political drama and engineering breakthroughs—but it rose from chaos (1959–73) to become an icon. Source: buff.ly/KddT3G1

Over 40% of all ships are used to transport fossil fuels and are themselves fuelled by fossil fuels. Increasing the share of renewables in the global energy mix also helps to decrease transport related fossil fuels.

This history map shows the US bombing in SE Asia during the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1975. Blue dots are 1000 lb bombs or larger. Source: buff.ly/1KXSRrd

how is this literally happening in real life

Absolutely incredible.

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who commanded Artemis II, took this footage from the far side of the Moon with his iPhone.

Watch with sound on.

Another post in support for more urban greenery. Look at these pictures from 1977 and 2024 in Erskineville (Sydney). A vacant block on the corner of Erskineville Rd & Albert St is now Green Bans Park. Source: buff.ly/hYodffy

Since the country finds itself a lot in the global news, here is some geography trivia to show just how big Saudi Arabia is: Northern Saudi Arabia is closer to Ukraine than to Southern Saudi Arabia! Source: buff.ly/kaEJdAO

This map shows where women are required / forbidden to wear Islamic dress (burqa, niqab, hijab).

Half (!!!) of all global solar capacity is installed in one country: China 🇨🇳 ☀️

Weaving still gets mentioned in literature surprisingly often. Source: buff.ly/bjATSbp

I fear that the general US population still isn’t aware of how much permanent damage Trump 2.0 is doing to the reputation and trade flows of the US. Trump keeps pushing everyone (including traditional allies) in the arms of China.

As a non-native English speaker I must say Marlene’s list is a great showcase of how tricky English can be at times.

The Kurzweil curve is beloved by tech optimists.

I’ll count @toddrjones observation that Japan's Phillips Curve looks like Japan as a #badgeographyjoke.

Top trade partners of the European countries. Germany as a major exporter and major consumer market dominates this map.

Farming began in the Fertile Crescent and spread steadily into Europe between 9600 and 4000 BCE. The map shows this slow wave of expansion, bringing crops, settlement, and population growth, and laying the foundations for European civilisation. Source: buff.ly/d32q85T

These maps show that many US fast food chains remain relatively local players. McDonalds has about 14,000 restaurants across the country! Source: buff.ly/aLPJyCU

This map shows Egypt and Kyrenaica around 600 BC, when Greeks established colonies like Cyrene. Early contact with Ancient Egypt wasn’t just trade, it sparked a cultural exchange that shaped Greek art, science and philosophy for centuries.

Maybe US Americans love Disney World because it's the most walkable place in the country? Or is it the monorail? Source: buff.ly/FZ9ilKH

Looking at satellite imagery of the of the Fertile Crescent and a population density view, you realise quickly how simple human settlement patterns tended to be. Geography mattered even more than it does now. Source: buff.ly/U4VKH5B

If your criticism of Eurovision was that the event wasn't political enough, the 2026 edition will be for you!

Argentina is the IMF's biggest borrower by a longshot. Source: buff.ly/23r7f0X

The blue countries are classified as advanced economies by the IMF as of 2026. Source: buff.ly/TqCAWLG

A nice and simple way to visualise who held the title of "The World's Tallest Building" for how long. Source: buff.ly/rGdg6vo