Analogies really help learning. Jesus used parables. My pastor is a craftsman of illustrations. I'm a big fan of anything that can help folks (including me!) get a handle on complex ideas.
For instance, how do you help those of us in the U.S. understand the size of other countries? I saw this map that compares the Gross Domestic Product of other countries with individual states in the U.S.
For instance, New Jersey's state economy is about the size of Switzerland. Texas' state economy is about the same as India or Mexico. The California economy is about the same size as Canada.
Now, I don't think anyone will confuse Colorado for Thailand...or New York state for South Korea, but this analogy sure helps make world economics a lot easier to grasp for me.
