Viral

This map accidentally forgot New Zealand and everybody got angry

Picture:
Picture:
istock / kovgabor79

The World Economic Forum has published an illustrative article about how the internet crosses the ocean.

It describes how 99 per cent of all data is transferred through underwater cables, along the floor of the oceans, and offers different maps representing the world's submarine fibre-optic connections.

The WEF tweeted the article using a picture of this map, made by Telegeography, to show the 278 in-service cables along with 21 planned routes.

Oh and, all the countries in the world.

Well, almost all...

Picture:Picture:

They forgot New Zealand

(which Captain James Cook actually discoveredbeforeAustralia).

Picture:Picture:

And despite the fact that our Antipodean afterthought has more sheep than people, nevertheless there were enough Kiwis to generate some Twitter outrage.

And because this is the world in which we live, #MapsWithoutNZ began trending on Twitter.

And then because it is 2017, it inexplicably became about Brexit.

And then Prince Edward Island, Canada, got involved...

And then more islands...

And then someone made this incredibly salient point...

More: New Zealand is keeping its old flag - but things could have been so much better

More: Here are the funniest 'global stereotype' maps

The Conversation (0)
x