Even though we’re living in 2013 and can stream entire seasons of TV shows in between banking and sending work emails on our phone alone, sending data around the world is not exactly an easy feat. The internet exists how it does today thanks to the help of cables sunk deep into the world’s oceans. A new, gorgeous map details the world’s submarine cables as they appear in 2013, and shows us where the underwater internet is headed in the future.
A couple of years ago, we took at a look at a map detailing the world of submarine cables as it looked in 2011. Since they run across the world and through the oceans, you might be imagining the cables with a thick, sci-fi style diameter that you generally see sprouting up from or traveling through a spaceship’s infrastructure. However, the submarine cables are only around three inches thick and are packed with just a few optic fibers, but they can manage astonishing data transfer rates of 40Gbps to 10Tbps — and they will only get faster. As we’ve previously mentioned, submarine cables date much further back in time than you may initially think, with the first transatlantic cables being set up during the 1860s, and the first transpacific cables being set up back in the early 1900s.
Now, in 2013, the submarine cable network is as strong and comprehensive as ever, but there is still more room for it to grow. The map (seen below) not only shows all of the cables installed since 1992, but 12 new cables that are planned to be installed sometime over the course of this year.
Creators of the above map, TeleGeography, released an interactive version as well, so you can zoom into whichever portion and learn more about the underwater internet that most likely never occupied too much of your thoughts. The bottom of the chart is home to a timeline of all the cables installed since 1992, while the globe portion of the map shows exactly between which two ports a line runs, as well as the lines’ capacities. The network latency between countries is also displayed on the map as well, with Brazil generally getting the short end of the submarine cable capacity stick. In total, the map shows 232 currently operational routes, along with the 12 planned routes.
TeleGeography based the map’s aesthetic on old astrology charts and antique maps, which is why it might remind you a bit of BioShock. If you want to display your love of submarine cables, or simply want to pay homage to a large portion of what helps the internet work but doesn’t really get too much public credit, you can obtain a printed version of the map, which measures in at 50×36 inches and is printed on Yupo, a synthetic material.
Now read: The secret world of submarine cables
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