Lots of folks have linked to this little chartlet, which reveals that if the entire population of the United States lived at the density of the New York borough of Brooklyn, then it would fit inside the state of New Hampshire. Makes you think, huh? Or consider this: if the entire world’s population were located evenly within America’s borders, the country would be settled at less than the density in prototypical suburb Fairfax County.

If the world’s population were built at Brooklyn density, it would occupy about 70% of the state of Texas. At Manhattan densities, you could fit the whole world into Virginia and North Carolina. Leaving the rest of the world empty.

In practice, humans have to spread out in order to cultivate land to feed themselves, and agriculture aside, there are significant gains to distribution of population around the world (including the utility gains of satisfaction of varying tastes). But, you know, think about it.