Cartograms

Source: http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/09/01/worldmapper-cartogramps-revisualize-the-world/

This is a type of thematic map, but instead of superimposing the information over the standard geographical map, the information represented distorts the land areas. The map shows CO2 levels produced by country. The U.S. and China are huge, while Africa at least in the center disappears.