Most people assume their daily lives are shaped mostly by decisions made in their own country. In reality, a handful of places around the world quietly influence everything from energy prices to smartphones to online shopping.
1. Taiwan
Even if you’ve never visited Taiwan, there’s a good chance your phone, laptop, car, or game console depends on computer chips manufactured there. Taiwan produces the vast majority of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, making it one of the most important places in the global economy.
2. The Panama Canal
A shipment leaving Asia for North America can save thousands of miles by passing through the Panama Canal instead of sailing around South America. Delays or disruptions there can affect prices and delivery times around the world. Around 5-6% of global trade passes through the canal each year.
3. The Strait of Hormuz
Much of the world’s oil and natural gas moves through this narrow stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Events there can quickly influence gasoline prices thousands of miles away.
4. Singapore
Singapore sits at one of the busiest shipping crossroads on Earth. Huge volumes of cargo moving between Europe and Asia pass through ports and logistics systems centered there.
5. Northern Virginia
Few people realize that one of the world’s largest concentrations of internet infrastructure sits in Northern Virginia. A remarkable share of global internet traffic passes through data centers located there.
6. The Strait of Malacca
This shipping route between Malaysia and Indonesia carries enormous volumes of global trade moving between Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Disruptions there would affect supply chains across the world.