I thought it would be interesting to compare which countries the U.S. has embassies/consulates in to which countries have embassies and consulates in the U.S. Read the notes on the maps for details about counting, as what to include/exclude required some thought.

For the most part, the maps are quite balanced, but there are a few differences. The U.S. places an equal emphasis on having embassies/consulates in Asia and Europe. After Mexico (13), the U.S. has an equal number in Canada, China, and France (8), and six each in Germany, Japan, and India. In contrast, there are 17 cities that have embassies/consulates in more than 25 U.S. cities. Thirteen of them are in Europe, with France leading the way; it has even more than Mexico, which comes in second. The other non-European countries in this group are Japan, Canada, and Guatemala.

Data sources: http://www.usembassy.gov/index.html

http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/c58132.htm

http://www.embassy.org/