laws - World Visualized

laws

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World / 5 weeks ago

Portugal stands alone in mandating vegan meals in all public institutions

In a world where dietary choices are becoming political and ethical, Portugal is the only country on Earth where it is illegal not to offer a vegan meal in public institutions. In a world where dietary choices are becoming political and ethical, Portugal is the only country on Earth where it is illegal not to offer a vegan meal in public institutions. In 2017, the Portuguese Parliament passed Law No. 11/2017, mandating at least one vegan option in all public-sector canteens, including schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons.

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Culture / 7 weeks ago

When love was still a crime: The 1966 U.S. map of interracial marriage bans

In 1966, the United States was still deeply divided on the most personal of civil rights, who you could marry. The map above shows how, even as much of the country had legalised interracial marriage, a swath of states, primarily in the South, still enforced laws that made it illegal for people of different races to wed.

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Culture / 13 weeks ago

The surprising global patchwork of legal drinking ages

Walk into a bar in one country and you might need to be 18 to order a drink; travel to another and you’d be breaking the law until you turn 21 or even older. The world’s legal drinking ages vary dramatically, reflecting divergent cultural, historical, and public health priorities. The map you see illustrates this vividly: nations are colored to show minimum legal drinking ages ranging from as young as 15 to as high as 25.

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World / 14 weeks ago

Gun ownership laws around the world

Gun laws vary dramatically across the globe, and a new world map lays bare those differences with striking clarity. In some countries, citizens can own long guns such as rifles and shotguns without a permit. In others, strict licensing regimes demand not only background checks but also a “good reason” for ownership, such as hunting or sport. And in a significant number of nations, private ownership is prohibited outright.

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Culture / 15 weeks ago

Africa’s homosexuality laws: A continent divided, markets watching closely

Across much of Africa, same-sex relationships remain illegal, a fact that continues to shape not just social and political life, but also global perceptions, foreign investment, and human rights debates. A recent map published by The World in Maps reveals that more than half of Africa’s 54 nations still criminalise homosexuality, despite growing global recognition of LGBTQ+ rights.

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