Amazing 'spike maps' that will change the way you see Earth

Eye-opening population density spike maps have revealed the true scale of how jam-packed America's coastal areas are compared to its interior - and the staggering detail that 's five boroughs could hold all the people on Earth if they stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

Standard population density maps are colored but flat, so it's difficult to know how dense one area truly is in comparison with another. While the spread of humanity may not be surprising, these maps break down population density into spikes - the higher the spike, the larger the volume of people living in one area - that offer a fascinating visual appraisal of how humans congregate along the coasts near water in North and South America, Europe, and Australia, due to a longstanding preference since humans evolved from ocean organisms.

These maps are unique because they don't show any drawn boundaries between states in America or between nations in Europe, Asia and Africa. Instead, they rely upon the population spikes to reveal the most fascinating aspects of human migration and settlement worldwide.