What the election map REALLY looks like

Even after Barack Obama’s landslide win on Tuesday, America’s electoral map looks pretty red. Vast oceans of conservatism sprawl through the South and Midwest.

But one cartographer at the University of Michigan has tweaked that image, to better reflect the election’s outcome based not on square miles (there’s a lot of empty terrain out in conservative country) but on population.

As you can see, Obama won the vast majority of states with big populations — and lost in many states with small, rural populations.

See the full array of maps — including a fascinating tapestry that shifts from red through purple to blue here.