12 ways to divide South America
What happens when a map doesn’t try to be objective – when it leans fully into bias, exaggeration, and a bit of cultural mischief? You get something like this.
This map takes South America and divides it into imagined zones like “Where No One Lives,” “Where They Drink Tea,” and “Where They May Rob You.” It’s not a serious geographical atlas – and it doesn’t pretend to be. Instead, it plays with the messy way people stereotype places.
If the style feels familiar, you’re probably thinking of The Atlas of Prejudice by Yanko Tsvetkov. His maps take a similar approach: part social commentary, part comedy, with labels that exaggerate clichés just enough to make you stop and think. They’re drawn in a way that looks clean and confident — but the ideas behind them are anything but simple.
What’s clever here is how some of the borders feel vaguely rooted in reality — things like population density, language, or climate — while others are pure cultural shorthand.
Argentina gets labeled for its football obsession. Colombia for its reputation (deserved or not) around crime. There’s a region called “Good for Business,” and another where “No One Lives.”
If this map piqued your interest, you might enjoy The Atlas of Prejudice by Yanko Tsvetkov. It’s a book filled with maps like this — not meant to be taken seriously, but definitely hard to ignore. It’s available on Amazon.
