Tuesday Map: The world rearranged by population

This map of unknown original origin has been making the Internet rounds this week. It shows the countries of the world rearranged so that their area is equivalent to their population size. Zoomable full-size version here. (I’m guessing there’s good deal of rounding and approximation involved.) Interestingly, the U.S., Brazil, Yemen, and Ireland get to stay where they are. 

Readers, what geopolitical scenarios can you imagine if the world were rearranged this way tomorrow. India’s trade relationship with the U.S. just improved a lot, though the call center industry just lost its time-zone advantage. (Bangladesh ironically gets India’s old spot.) North Korea and South Korea still border each other though the North gets screwed out of a coastline.  The danger of Pakistan destabilizing its neighbors just disappeared — it no longer has any. Are Vietnam and Lebanon better or worse off as distant islands in the North Atlantic?

Discuss.