I initially thought the same thing, but revised my thinking after I kept reading. I made a comment here [0], but the author is correct that in this case (as in

I initially thought the same thing, but revised my thinking after I kept reading. I made a comment here [0], but the author is correct that in this case (as in almost every conceivable visualization case), mapping the cases-per-person value is necessary. The mapping of absolute counts almost completely hides the severity of the impact in Hubei province, and how the severity in other provinces has a direct relationship to their geographic distance from Hubei. > These political divisions are arbitrary anyway. Not sure how interstate activity and travel is regulated/limited in China (in normal times), but in the U.S., state borders are not just some imaginary political construct. Laws and services – and therefore, impact to respective populations – can drastically differ by state lines, and ignoring that is a huge mistake. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22436842 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22436842