Over at Slate, there’s a great article about the “Best of Show” map at the annual competition of the Cartography and Geographic Information Society. Unlike most other maps, it was created painstakingly by one man. Much like yesterday’s post about the Roboto typeface, there is a very subtle art to maps that most people haven’t ever thought about. This article does a great job of discussing the multitude of decisions made by the cartographer in the creation of this map. It took him FIVE YEARS to make!

Normally, this is where I’d mention that I found it on Kottke.org, one of my main sources for great content. But this time, I’m the one who sent it to @jkottke. That’s one step closer to getting him to post one of my comics on his site, which is next on my “awesome blogs I wish would link to me” list.

The Greatest Paper Map of the United States You’ll Ever See »

Oh, and if you want to buy the map, here’s the link to Imus’ website. It’s only $40.00, and only $80.00 for a 10-pack. Get some friends together and tell people you have the best map of them all.