Mexico annexes a large part of the US

An interesting "globalisation" story showing a map of the US after Mexico annexes a large chunk of the west coast of America. This picture is all the more interesting as I am a long standing consumer of the product.

The naughty Swedes have got themselves into trouble on this one.



H/T: Strange Maps

The history:

Large swathes of the western US used to be part of Mexico. In 1836, American settlers proclaimed the independence of Texas, formally a Mexican territory. The US annexation of Texas in 1845 prompted the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), after which Mexico was forced to cede 525,000 square miles of territory (42% of its pre-war territory, 12% of the US’s current territory).

Mexico didn’t have much choice: a US army occupied Mexico City, and the alternative was total annexation. The Mexican Cession consisted of the territories of Alta California and Nueva Mexico, out of which were eventually formed the US states of California, Nevada and Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.

In this ‘absolut’ version of the world, the US and Mexico are about the same size. As gratifying as it might be for Mexicans to see the loss of Texas and the Mexican Cession be reversed, this map managed to offend so many Americans that it prompted Absolut Vodka to release a statement

Clearly, this advert is an example of both geographical differentiation but also the power of the global media to ensure things do not remain local for long.

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