The Engaged Electorate

Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley, 26, of Eureka, Calif.

Sgt. 1st Class Matthew I. Leggett, 39, of Ruskin, Florida

Sgt. 1st Class Samuel C. Hairston, 35, of Houston, Texas

Maj. Gen. Harold J. Greene, 55, of Schenectady, N.Y.

Staff Sgt. Girard D. Gass Jr., of Lumber Bridge, North Carolina

Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Yeshabel Villotcarrasco, 23, of Parma, Ohio

Pfc. Keith M. Williams, 19, of Visalia, Calif.

Pfc. Donnell A. Hamilton, Jr., 20, of Kenosha, Wisconsin

Commerce knits the modern world together in a way that nothing else quite does. Almost anything you own these days is the result of a complicated web of global interactions. And there's no better way to depict those interactions and the social and political circumstances that give rise to them than with a map or two. Or in our case, 38. These maps are our favorite way to illustrate the major economic themes facing the world today. Some of them focus on the big picture while others illustrate finer details. The overall portrait that emerges is of a world that's more closely linked than ever before, but still riven by enormous geography-driven differences.

Israel is the world's only Jewish state, located just east of the Mediterranean Sea. Palestinians, the Arab population that hails from the land Israel now controls, refer to the territory as Palestine, and want to establish a state by that name on all or part of the same land. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is over who gets what land and how it's controlled.Israel in red, Palestinian-majority territories in pink. Wikimedia CommonsNote that, since 1967, Israel has returned Sinai to Egypt. BBC News

Money is complicated. These charts make it simple.

This map shows how the US could border Africa.

Saving for retirement doesn't have to be complicated. Follow these four simple rules and you'll be on your way to a comfortable retirement.

The map above shows several areas in the United States where there have been unusual “swarms” of earthquakes, possibly connected to industry. The map is part of a series released last week by the U.S. Geological Survey, including another map showing where earthquakes are most likely to happen across the country.

Money suffuses our political system. Here’s what’s going on, in charts.