Where in the World...?

...can I find religion?  

http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/The+World/Sociological/Religions+of+the+World

In this image, provided by Kids Maps, one can see which religions dominate geographical regions of the world. Without taking into account differences in population size per county, it appears that Christianity is the most widely cited religious affiliation worldwide. The map specifically shows that the majority of people living in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Sub-Saharan Africa recognize themselves as Christians. Islam is the second largest religion, and Buddhism appears to be the third most prevalent faith. What I find most interesting about this map is that Judaism seems completely absent from it. Without prior knowledge of Judaism, the map would lead people to conclude that it is not a prominent religion at all. In this regard, it must be taken into account that the map does not acknowledge religious diversity within different regions. For example, by  looking at the map, one could not deduce that many Americans are Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist; instead, it appears as though everyone living in the United States is Christian. As such, religious diversity is neither recognized within countries, nor the focal point of the map. In contrast, the map is designed to show religious majorities by geographic region. Therefore, Judaism obviously would not be shown, as it is not a majority religion in any large region of the world. Overall, this map lends itself to further studies about religious distribution and how it relates to political, economic, and social interactions on a global scale. 

...should people go to drink? 
 
(http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/global_alcohol_consumption).  

Above is a map provided by The Economist, which illustrates levels of alcohol consumption across the globe. One finds that rates of alcohol intake are highest in Europe and lowest in Northern Africa and Indonesia. East and Southeast Asia have relatively low consumption rates, while Australia and the Americas have mid-range levels. This map is interesting when analyzed alongside the map of religious patterns by region. Looking at the two, one could argue that alcohol consumption directly corresponds to religious affiliation; for example, there is a pattern of very low consumption within predominately Muslim areas like Northern Africa and Indonesia.  In predominately Christian continents, such as North and South America, Australia, and Europe, there are much higher rates of consumption. This information can be particularly useful for investigating the relationship between religion and popular culture.


...can I retire happily? 

http://giszone.blogs.bucknell.edu/2011/04/06/mapping-happiness/

This map was constructed by a Ph.D. student from the University of Cambridge, who calculated happiness levels in the United States. Using Twitter posts as a primary indicator of nationwide emotion levels, he analyzed words and terms, generally associated with happiness or sadness, to create a statistical model that could predict happiness levels in each of the 50 states. Based on the data, it appears that people living in parts of the Northeast, the Great Plains, and the Deep South are happiest, while the states in the northern half of the country and northern parts of New England are the least happy. This can possibly be attributed to temperature and weather patterns; while the northern-most parts of the country tend to be cold and subject to intense weather trends, thereby contributing to sadness, the southern regions are warmer and, thus, generate happiness. This would also explain why Alaska, characterized by long periods of cold and gloomy weather, is also considered one of the least happy states.  Even more interesting is the wide range of emotion across the country, as opposed to one relatively consistent pattern of happiness. I expected to find more homogeneity than is actually shown on the map. Overall, it is enlightening to see where people are perceived to be the happiest, because such a study opens the door to further research about psychological and social trends across the country.