Escher-like internet map could speed online traffic - tech - 08 September 2010 - New Scientist

Escher-like internet map could speed online traffic: Boguñá squeezed the entire network into a disc using hyperbolic geometry, more familiar to us through the circular mosaic-like artworks of M. C. Escher.

Each square on the map is an "autonomous system" – a section of the network managed by a single body such as a national government or a service provider. The most well-connected systems are close to the centre, while the least connected are at the edges. The area of the hyperbolic plane grows exponentially with distance from the centre, so the edges of the map are "roomier" than the middle.