BatchGeo Translations Hit the Map in 148 Countries

The footer on our web pages is growing. Recently we’ve added translations for BatchGeo and currently support 10 languages. Russian, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Portuguese, and Korean are the newest language translations we have available, joining English, French, Dutch, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Our powerful batch geocoding and map-making service is now accessible to the billions of people speaking those languages. And because it wouldn’t be BatchGeo without showing you a map, we’ve plotted every country where one of these 10 tongues is an official language.

View Countries Speaking BatchGeo Languages in a full screen map

The 10 languages of BatchGeo cover 148 countries and six continents. And that’s just official languages. We didn’t include the dozens of countries where English, French, German, Spanish, and others are spoken by significant portions of the population.

Nearly half of those countries are covered by our flagship site, which you know from this blog post is written in English. French is the next most common, officially spoken in 29 countries. 21 of those French-speaking countries are in Africa, a product of France’s colonization in the mid-1800s. Similarly, the English, Portuguese, and Dutch are from Britain, Portugal, and Holland’s own colonial efforts on that continent.

The same can be seen in South and Central America with Spanish speaking countries. Indeed, Spanish comes in third-most common with 21 countries represented.

Portuguese and Dutch are next, with 10 and nine countries, respectively. These two are spread far and wide given the fewer countries represented. Each is the official language of one of more country in Europe, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Other languages are more regional. Russian is spoken in some eastern European countries. Mandarin and Korean are each spoken in multiple Asian countries.

Four countries officially speak two or more of the 10 BatchGeo languages. Belgium recognizes Dutch, French, and German. Equatorial Guinea also has three, with French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Switzerland and Luxemborg border both France and Germany, so each have selected both as official languages.

By looking at the map, you can surely see how much of the globe is covered when it comes to batch geocoding in their native tongue. If you happen to speak Japanese, Dutch, French, German, or Spanish, be sure to view the videos, which have also been translated. Now that you’ve read down to the bottom, select your favorite language from the footer to get started.

Every NASCAR Crash Fatality Mapped

It’s been 15 years since fourth-generation racer Adam Petty died during a practice session for the Busch 200. While there were two fatal crashes that year, there are relatively few fatal crashes for a sport that can see speeds cross over 200 miles per hour. The map below shows all fatalities during practice or competition since NASCAR started in 1948. You can group by year, event, circuit, series, and the activity during the crash (such as qualifying or practice).

View NASCAR Fatal Crashes in a full screen map

Adam Petty was the son of Kyle Petty, grandson Richard Petty, and great-grandson of NASCAR pioneer Lee Petty. The youngest Petty was just 19 when he died at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. That circuit, or race track, suffered one other fatality, later in 2000 when Kenny Irwin, Jr., crashed at the same turn as Petty had earlier. Both men suffered a basilar skull fracture. Other than Irwin and Petty, no other racer has died at this circuit.

Daytona International Speedway has seen the most fatal crashes. Famous for the Daytona 500, the circuit also hosts many other events, the most likely reason 14 drivers have lost their lives there. The first was in 1961, the most recent was Dale Earnhardt at the 2001 Daytona 500.

NASCAR as a whole has not had a driving death since 2009, which puts it at over half a decade. The sport has become undeniably safer. The 1950s saw 17 fatalities, and there were 10 in the 1960s. The 1970s saw a dip, with only six, but the 1980s are the second-most dangerous decade with 14 fatal crashes. There were 11 in the 1990s and nine in the 2000s.

The most fatal year was 1956, with five deaths.

The most common time for a fatal crash, unsurprisingly, is during a race. Over half of all fatalities (46) have come during competition, when the track is often crowded and the event is on the line. Practice (11) and Qualifying (8) come next. Only three drivers have died during testing, two in the 60s.

Of course, driving fast is a risky business, but also one increasingly focused on safety. To prevent basilar skull fracture, NASCAR and other motor sports now require drivers to wear head and neck restraints. With luck and further innovations, perhaps there will be very few additional drivers added to this map.

On Mother’s Day, Find Out Where Those Flowers Came From

It may sound unappreciative to go Dutch when celebrating Mother’s Day. In reality, it’s hard to do otherwise. While picking up the check at brunch is compulsory, those flowers you bought have a good chance of coming from The Netherlands, also known as Holland (and whose people are Dutch—it’s confusing). No other country exports more flowers, with nearly half of the world’s cut floral goods originating in the small European country.

View World’s Flower Exporters in a full screen map

The 8 billion dollar industry is clearly centered in Holland’s 10,000 hectares of glasshouses. The country’s flower business is actually only one-third devoted to cut flowers, according to Holland.com. Other exports include seeds and bulbs.

Of the European flowers exported, The Netherlands is responsible for 90% of it. Other top European producers are Belgium-luxembourg and Italy.

After Europe, South America is the next-largest flower-exporting continent. In terms of countries, Colombia is a distant second to Holland, with about 16% of the world’s flower exports. Its neighbor, Ecuador comes in third, with just over 9%. Kenya and Ethiopia lead Africa, coming in at fourth and fifth respectively.

If you really want to get your mother something unique, try to find flowers from Guyana. Last on the list, the South American country exported just over $1,000 of flowers in 2012. It is one of 15 countries that export less than $5,000 worth annually.

The US is the largest importer of flowers, but not far behind are Germany and the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, The Netherlands comes in fourth, importing nearly 10% of the world’s flowers despite growing so many itself.

Perhaps Dutch mothers get tired of tulips, the official flower of The Netherlands.