The Atlantic magazine has published its list of the "best of 2012" . . . maps!
Despite the chronological limitation, there is one early map in the post -- of Estonia from what looks to me to be an edition of Ortelius's Theatrum orbis terrarum, courtesy of the Library of Congress. I don't know if Estonia has any significance, beyond presenting an "exotic" image with which to entice the reader.
But the rest of the post does not need such antiquarian attitude to lure readers. The ten maps detail, among other things, geographical comparisons expressed on twitter, the storm surge accompanying Superstorm Sandy, a multivariate choropleth of the 2012 US presidential vote, and (my personal favorite) the respective occurence of the words "beer" and "church." These ten maps are all, indeed, fascinating images that sustain extended exploration and thought.
Fortunately, Apple's flawed maps app did not make the list.
h/t David Nutty for the lead.