Editing 1653: United States Map

{{comic
| number    = 1653
| date      = March 9, 2016
| title     = United States Map
| image     = united_states_map.png
| titletext = It would be pretty unfair to give to someone a blank version of this map as a 'how many states can you name?' quiz. (If you include Alaska and Hawaii, you should swap the Aleutian Islands with the Hawaiian ones.)
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a map with the (rough) outline of the {{w|Contiguous United States|mainland}} of the {{w|United States of America}}. At first it looks like the real map, but actually all the states have been shuffled around in it. It seems that [[Randall]] took all of the states (minus {{w|Alaska}} and {{w|Hawaii}}, the two states that are not part of this map and are only mentioned in the title text, see below), and then reassembled them in the style of a jigsaw puzzle, with the end result being a map with a similar outline to the original [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png unaltered mainland state map]. They can thus be reassembled into the real map as can be seen [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/88/1653-rearranged.png here] (see also the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]).

Previously Randall has played with the shapes of the United States in [[1079: United Shapes]]. In that map he did two separate drawings for {{w|Michigan}} with a mitten in the {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|lower part}} and an eagle in the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan|upper part}}. Once again in this version he has split Michigan in two, the lower main part, the mitten just labeled ''Michigan'', is on the west coast on part of {{w|California|California's}} location, but the upper part is located on the east coast over {{w|New York|New York's}} location and has been labeled ''MI (upper)''. So even without Hawaii and Alaska, there are 49 "states" in this map, consisting of 47 states plus the two halves of Michigan. In the [[#Table|table]] below all 49 states in the map has been listed to indicate where the puzzle pieces have been moved to.

It seems at a first glance that the names have been written on the states as they would appear in a normal map, and that they have all then been rotated with the rotation of the states. But this is not the case for all states. For instance it seems like {{w|Utah}} has hardly been moved at all, and with the name written normally this may be intentionally to deceive the readers. Because Utah has been turned upside down, and according to how for instance {{w|Texas}}, clearly turned upside down, has its name written upside down as well, Utah should thus also have been written like that.

It seems likely that this could be a trick by Randall, to see if anyone spots that Utah has actually been moved. But it could of course be a mistake, as seems more likely with {{w|Montana}} where the same "error" has occurred, but since this state has been moved far from its real position there would be no sport in doing so (see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]). Of course there is the possibility that "Utah" was on purpose and Montana by mistake. With 47 of 49 ending up rotated as expected on the map and only two exactly upside down, there can be no doubt that it was on purpose that the names in general have been written according to the states rotation. Note that for instance the state California has been rotated, but in a way so the text is written normally. But due to the direction of the state, it is normal to write the name tilted down along the state, which just coincidentally ends up being rotated normal in the position it has in the comic.

California has thus only been pushed down the length of the west border of the US (and thus rotated accordingly) so the top part still overlaps with the bottom part California, but also covers the bottom part of {{w|Arizona}} and {{w|New Mexico}}. Other states that likewise haven't been moved a lot include {{w|Maine}} which has only been rolled left (i.e. turned upside down) to just outside its normal position. {{w|Colorado}} has been moved up a state to where {{w|Wyoming}} usually is, and Wyoming has then just been shifted right, still covering part of its original position. But both have been turned 90 degrees, whichever way would be impossible to say for these rectangular states, but the text, if you dare believe in that, seems to indicate they have been turned counter clockwise. {{w|Wisconsin}} has only been shifted down below its usual position but then turned upside down.

The title text mentions how it would be unfair to use a [http://i.imgur.com/Mvi8j9s.jpg blank version] of this shuffled-up map as a quiz for knowledge of U.S. geography (the link is to such a map created by a user of this site); most people recognize states primarily by their relative locations, not their shape (and especially not their shape after being rotated). It also suggests a corresponding mean trick to play if you include Alaska and Hawaii, which are not present in the comic itself, namely to interchange the volcanic island of Hawaii (consisting of 8 main islands and hundreds of smaller ones) with those of the {{w|Aleutian Islands}}, also a chain of volcanic islands (14 large and 55 small) that partly belongs to the US and partly to Russia. The island extends from the {{w|Alaska Peninsula}}. It would thus be possible to even make it difficult to correctly name these last two states, even though it would be obvious to begin with that it must be the two not belonging to the mainland.

==Table==
*This table lists all states in the order of the transcript. But it can be sorted alphabetically.
*Its purpose is twofold:
**To list the rotation of the state compared to the real orientation of the state in the real world map
**To list which state/states the states, in this comics map, have been moved over/inside.
**Finally it a note can be made for interesting swaps.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! State
! Rotation
! Moved to
! Note
|-
| {{w|Ohio}} || Upside down || Washington ||
|-
| {{w|Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia}} || Upside down || Oregon ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (lower part)}} (as {{w|Michigan}})|| Upside down || Northern California|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one on each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Maryland}} (as MD) || Upside down || Central California (Southern Bay Area) ||
|-
| {{w|California}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern California, Southern Arizona, Southern New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Kansas}} || Upside down || Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho, Western Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Pennsylvania}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Oregon, Idaho ||
|-
| {{w|Oklahoma}} || Rotated clockwise || Idaho, Montana ||
|-
| {{w|New Mexico}} ||None  || Nevada, Northern California ||
|-
| {{w|Nebraska}} || Upside down || Northern New Mexico, Northern Arizona||
|-
| {{w|South Dakota}} || None || Montana ||
|-
| {{w|Colorado}} || Rotated clockwise || Western Wyoming ||
|-
| {{w|Wyoming}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Eastern Wyoming || Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Utah}} || Upside down || Utah, Northern Arizona || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Montana. Stays mostly in place.
|-
| {{w|Alabama}} || None || Western Colorado ||
|-
| {{w|Massachusetts}} (as MA) || Rotated counter clockwise || Central New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Virginia}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western New Mexico ||
|-
| {{w|Arizona}} || Rotated counter clockwise || North Dakota ||
|-
| {{w|Washington (state)|Washington}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Western Iowa, Eastern South Dakota, Eastern Nebraska ||
|-
| {{w|Montana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Colorado, New Mexico and Texas || The text has been written upside down on the state, so in a correct map using this state the text would be upside down. Only other state this has happened with is Utah.
|-
| {{w|New York}} || None || Westernmost tip of Texas || Missing Long Island.
|-
| {{w|Minnesota}} || Upside down || Minnesota || Stays mostly in place. 
Horribly deformed, especially on the eastern border.
|-
| {{w|Texas}} || Upside down || Missouri, Arkansas, Western Kansas, Iowa, Southern Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|Connecticut}} (as CT) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and New Mexico border ||
|-
| {{w|Mississippi}} (as Missi-ssippi) || Rotated clockwise || Texas and Oklahoma border ||
|-
| {{w|Nevada}} || None || South Western Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Idaho}} || Rotated clockwise || Eastern Texas, Southern Louisiana ||
|-
| {{w|South Carolina}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southernmost Texas ||
|-
| {{w|Missouri}} || Upside down || Eastern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin, Michigan's upper peninsula, Lake Superior ||
|-
| {{w|Wisconsin}} || Upside down || Illinois || Very deformed, loses its Western indentation
|-
| {{w|Kentucky }} || Rotated clockwise || Western Wisconsin, Western Illinois ||
|-
| {{w|North Dakota}} || Rotated clockwise || Mississippi ||
|-
| {{w|Florida}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Southern Michigan, Northern Ohio ||
|-
| {{w|North Carolina}} || Rotated clockwise || Southern Michigan, Eastern Indiana || Missing Outer Banks.
|-
| {{w|Indiana}} || None || Alabama ||
|-
| {{w|Rhode Island}} (as RI ) || Unclear rotation, perhaps counter clockwise || Louisiana (New Orleans area) ||
|-
| {{w|Oregon}} || Rotated clockwise || Ohio, West Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|Iowa}} || None || Western North Carolina, South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Tennessee}} || Upside down || Northern Florida (Panhandle), Southern Alabama, Southern Georgia ||
|-
| {{w|Illinois}} || None || Florida ||
|-
| {{w|Maine}} || Upside down || Northern New York, Vermont ||
|-
| {{w|New Hampshire}} (as NH) || None || Western Pennsylvania ||
|-
| {{w|Lower Peninsula of Michigan|Michigan (upper part)}} (as MI (upper))|| Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise || Pennsylvania and New York|| Michigan is the only state split in two, as it is also split in two peninsulas in real life. In real life these two parts lie very close on the shores of the {{w|Great Lakes region|Great Lakes}}, and not as here, with one at each coast of the US. But at least they still both lie on a shore.
|-
| {{w|Arkansas}} || None || Eastern Maryland, Eastern Virginia ||
|-
| {{w|New Jersey}} (as NJ)|| None || Eastern South Carolina ||
|-
| {{w|Louisiana}} || Rotated counter clockwise || Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine ||
|-
| {{w|West Virginia}} || Rotated 45 degree clockwise || Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts ||
|-
| {{w|Delaware}} (as DE) || Rotated counter clockwise || New York (Long Island) ||
|-
| {{w|Vermont}} (as VT) || Upside down || Either New Jersey or Delaware (unclear) ||
|}

==Transcript==
:[A white map with an outline that closely resembles that of the mainland of the United States of America with gray all around the black border. But on closer inspection most of the states do not look right. The 48 mainland states are all there, however, with their name or abbreviations written on them as a label in gray text. But they have all been shuffled around and then reassembled as a jigsaw puzzle in the same shape as USA. The name labels for most of the states have been rotated, often to follow the new rotation of the state in the map. So some are written upside down or have been rotated 90 degrees clockwise or counter clockwise or even somewhere in between. One state, Michigan, has even been split up in two so there are 49 instead of 48 labels. For the states that have been named only with state abbreviations the full name is written in brackets behind the transcript of the abbreviation. Here below all the states are listed approximately in columns going from the top left and down and then moving right to the next column across the map. Any rotation of the text from normal is noted in brackets behind the name.]
:Ohio [Upside down]
:Georgia [Upside down]
:Michigan [Upside down – but only bottom part]
:MD [Upside down - Maryland]
:California [Text not rotated, but state is rotated counter-clockwise]
:Kansas [Upside down]
:Pennsylvania [Rotated clockwise]
:Oklahoma [Rotated clockwise]
:New Mexico
:Nebraska [Upside down]
:South Dakota
:Colorado [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Wyoming [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Utah [Text normal, but state is upside down, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:Alabama
:MA [Rotated counter clockwise – Massachusetts]
:Virginia [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Arizona [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Washington [Rotated counter clockwise]
:Montana [Rotated clockwise - but the state is rotated counter clockwise, i.e. the text is upside down in the state]
:New York
:Minnesota [Upside down]
:Texas [Upside down]
:CT [Rotated clockwise –Connecticut]
:Missi- 
::ssippi [Rotated clockwise - text split with hyphen]
:Nevada
:Idaho [Rotated clockwise]
:South Carolina [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:Missouri [Upside down]
:Wisconsin [Upside down]
:Kentucky  [Rotated clockwise]
:North Dakota [Rotated clockwise]
:Florida [Rotated counter clockwise, by more than 90 degrees, but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:North Carolina [Rotated clockwise]
:Indiana
:RI [Label below in the ocean –Rhode Island]
:Oregon [Rotated clockwise]
:Iowa
:Tennessee [Upside down]
:Illinois
:Maine [Upside down]
:NH [New Hampshire]
:MI (upper) [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise – Michigan but only upper part]
:Arkansas
:NJ [New Jersey]
:Louisiana [Rotated 45 degree counter clockwise - but the state is rotated exactly 90 degrees]
:West Virginia [Rotated 45 degree clockwise]
:DE [Rotated counter clockwise – label to the right in the ocean – Delaware]
:VT [Upside down –Vermont]

==Trivia==
*Here the pieces have been shifted around:
[[File:1653-rearranged.png]]
*And this [http://i.imgur.com/dsLPc4s.png opposite map] shows to what extend the states fit in Randall's layout when using the real borders.
*Using two A3 printouts of both the [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/National-atlas-blank-state-outlines.png real map] from Wikipedia and this comic, is approximately the same scale it was possible to reassemble US putting the states in their correct place.
**The result displayed surprisingly accurate drawings of the states, although it is clear that on the borders between states that are not drawn by a ruler, they cannot be correct for both states in all cases.
**From this map it becomes clear that not only Utah but also Montana has the text written upside down according to the correct position of the state.
[[File:1653_United_States_Map_49_piece_jigsaw_solved.jpg]]
*This comic may be an input to the way the {{w|voting districts}} in the US are so random that you can not guess where your vote will count.
**In this video ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90RajY2nrgk Electoral College Ruins Democracy]'' (by {{w|Adam Ruins Everything}} from November 2015), a map of the US is split up, much like this comic has done.
**In this case though the states do not move to a new location, but rather move apart to show the size of the state depending on how much your vote would count.
**The video is about how the {{w|Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College}} is assembled in order to elects the President and Vice President of the United States.
**At the time of this comics release (2016-03-09) the {{w|United States presidential primary}} elections to determine the candidates for the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016}} was in full progress and not at all determined yet.
* This raises an interesting math problem: How many colors (see the four color theorem) are needed to color the normal US map and the xkcd map so that the states under the same name should be in the same color (e. g. the two Washingtons should be in the same color. The four Michigans should also be in the same color. However, the North Dakota and South Dakota are considered different.) while different states that share borders on either map should be in different colors? (Detail needed)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:US maps]]