The website Sightsmap reveals the most photographed places around the globe in a colorful gradient map of purples, reds, and yellows. The hottest places have markers linking photos, streetview, wikipedia, wikivoyage, foursquare and google plus articles about the site. The place names are selected by the wikipedia readership numbers and foursquare checkins. Area populations are based on the geonames database.
The popularity ranking of places in high-res area maps is computed by combining place hotness with popularity rankings from wikipedia, foursquare and real-time google places selection. Sightsmap forms an aggregation of the most photographed buildings by integrating Google's Panoramio, which allows users to tag a location or attraction within their photos. And, predictably, the sights happen to be some of the world's most recognizable landmarks. New York City claimed the world's most photographed location, with Frank Lloyd Wright's spiraling Guggenheim Museum beating out the city's other famed structures like the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Rome's Colosseum and the Renaissance church Trinità dei Monti helped push the Italian city into the second spot, while Barcelona came in third place with Antoni Gaudi's surreal Park Güell.
Barcelona's third most photographed city in the world, according Sightsmap.
With the ability to scroll into any locale on Earth to see rankings, Sightsmap is sure to be both the architecture-enthusiast's and frequent traveler's next online addiction.
It is possible to use a link ending with any place name, like this: http://www.sightsmap.com/New_York
