Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Welcome to Geography A-WEAR-NESS Week (get it?): It's time to appreciate maps on the landscape! You should find something geographical to WEAR this week! Cartographically-inspired T-shirts are popular choices. This one displays a thematic map showing what people in different regions call a carbonated beverage. Pop? Soda? Coke (generic)? [2014]

Saxis, Virginia, USA

The Eastern Shore of Virginia (ESVA) is often left off Virginia maps, hence the slogan here. Each of the communities shown on this map has a post office of its own, with one exception. This month, Geographically Yours Welcome will feature a complete gallery of Accomack County post offices and postmarks, starting with the county seat. [2007]

Bangkok, Thailand

Maps on the Landscape ~ National Scale: What you wear may betray your loyalties and your aspirations. Sure, it applies to Nike and your alma mater, but it may also apply to your country, your home. Here is a nation-building message that seems to defy party loyalty. [2016]

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There is the CN Tower again, but this time it's on a t-shirt. Without the tower, the Toronto skyline is but another generic silhouette. With the tower, the skyline becomes iconic. As for the company: It has carved out a niche market by specializing in repairing deficiencies in high-rise buildings. [2013]

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, USA

Four past Presidents (for sure) and two future Presidents (perhaps): That's the function of Mount Rushmore, to inspire everyone to lead by example right across the generations. There is only one problem with this tableaux vivant, however: no women! [2019]

Ekalaka, Montana, USA

"The Days of '85" is how the people of Ekalaka celebrate their founding. The auction comes just after the parade and before the rodeo. What is auctioned off? Two townsfolk. The highest bidders get to douse them with ice water. Proceeds go to paving sidewalks around the new hospital. Not bad for a county seat of little more than 300 inhabitants. [2019]

Samana, Dominican Republic

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds." It's a quote from Marcus Garvey, but it was made famous by Bob Marley in his Redemption Song. Bob Marley died on this very day in 1981. [1992]

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

The blanket market. Bold geometric designs characterize the Navajo blankets for sale all over the American Southwest. Sometimes you wonder if any two are alike. Surely you can find one that fits your personal aesthetic! Or, maybe your personal aesthetic tends toward a baseball cap and Nike t. [2017]

Panama City, Panama

Only 'Lavanderia' suggests Latin America. The store's name is in English, and the currency is the U.S. dollar. Add to that the extra-tropical snowmen and a Chinese version of the Gregorian calendar. Welcome to the El Dorado neighborhood's Chinese laundry. The original Chinese immigrants came to build the sea-to-sea rail lines that predated the canal. [2017]

Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Pilgrimages are usually associated with religious piety, but nationalisms all over the world have generated their share of pilgrimage places as well. Everyone in Bulgaria, for instance, must make a pilgrimage to Veliko Tarnovo, capital of Bulgaria when it was at its peak. What Bulgaria once was, it could become again. [2014]

Jefferson City, Missouri, USA

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, with its 58,307 names, stands on the Mall in Washington, D.C. In addition, several replicas (like this one) move from community to community to make it possible for everyone to participate in the experience of honoring those who gave their lives in the Vietnam War. [2015]

Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico

He has spent every year of his life waiting for the direct rays of the sun to arrive. When they do, he orders them to stop and go back to where they came from. Apollo always heeds the admonition. The Never Alone people of Todos Santos have the power of saints: They reside on the Tropic of Cancer! [2016]

San Diego, California, USA

The T presupposes a little bit of geographic knowledge, with an emphasis on 'little' as in Rhode Island. How much bigger is Texas than Rhode Island? 268 times. "Little Rhody," which now wants to be called the Ocean State, is only a thousand square miles, the size of a Texas county. [2013]

Istanbul, Turkey

A star, even if it's on a T, is the mark of a capital city. But Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey, so how do we work our way out of this conundrum? By letting our gaze settle on the fashionable fur hats. They will soon be for sale in Russia, which may make Istanbul a capital of their fashion industry. Or, maybe the city's just a cheap place to buy wholesale. [2014]

Deep Creek, Eleuthera, The Bahamas

No Turning Back. It's time to put the old year behind us and make our resolutions for the year ahead. Life's best is still in the making. So, why would you want to turn back? [2014]

Amman, Jordan

From the T alone, we know that he is an Assyrian not an Arab, that he is a Christian not a Muslim, and that he is a refugee in Jordan not a citizen. Jordan's job in the Middle East is to absorb refugees: first the Palestinians, then the Iraqis, now the Syrians. In fact, the fourth largest 'city' in Jordan is now a Syrian refugee camp. [1998]

Gambier, New Providence, The Bahamas

What color is the sea? What color is the swimwear? What color is the T? Why is everything in the Bahamas so color coordinated? Even the national flag feels the pressure to conform: All its colors are here if you look closely. [2014]

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The rest of the world could not believe the American electorate had actually voted for a Presidential candidate named Barack Hussein Obama. He quickly became an international rock star. At home, though, the story was different, and you rarely saw Ts like this, especially three years after his election. [2011]

Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

How do you explain the staying power of punk rock? Bad Religion recorded its first album in 1989 and had its biggest hit in 2013 by appealing to a whole new generation. Can't tell you what the name of its top-selling single was, but this dude must have liked it. Can't tell you, but you could always look it up. [2014]

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Safety first: Everyone's wearing a helmet, and the guide's wearing a take-notice T. Then, of course, there's that dude near the back. Could he be texting while segway-ing? Does that count as texting while driving? [2014]