Etc.

New Jersey: Russia's equal? On one level – GDP – it is.

Tennessee and Saudi Arabia may have little else in common, yet when it comes to economic productivity, they're two of a kind. Ditto for New Mexico and Hungary. Or so concludes Strange Maps, an Internet site that specializes in cartographic twists. Instead of measuring the gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire US – which, at $13.2 trillion, is greater than those of Japan, Germany, China, and Britain combined – against other countries, it makes state-to-country comparisons. Using a US map, it replaces each state name with that of a country that has roughly the same GDP, irrespective of population differences. The states with the 10 largest GDPs and their closest counterparts:

1. California France

2. Texas Canada

3. Florida South Korea

4. Illinois Mexico

5. New Jersey Russia

6. Ohio Australia

7. New York Brazil

8. Pennsylvania Netherlands

9. Georgia Switzerland

10. North Carolina Sweden