Geography
Spatial Patterns of Linguistic Diversity and Language Endangerment
Quick fact
The majority of the world's languages are spoken on a small fraction of Earth's land area—about 80% of languages are spoken in just 20% of the land, mostly concentrated in tropical regions like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and West Africa.
Why this is interesting
Look at a map of languages worldwide: why are so many packed into tiny tropical islands and highlands, while vast northern regions speak just one?