A new map of the country is created which shows the most distinctive causes of death in individual states in United States.

The map is released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Francis Boscoe from the New York Sate Cancer Registry and co-author of the study said, the map is intended as “somewhat of a colorful and provocative way of starting some conversations and highlighting some unusual things that are going on.”

Statistics from between 2001 and 2010 are used to create the map. The map indicates the most distinctive causes of deaths in the states, but it does not show what kills the most.

Distinctive cause of death is when the rate of death is higher than what the national average is, but does not necessarily mean high numbers. It is a measure of causes of deaths that appear in some states and not in others.

Lung disease was the most distinctive cause of death of people in West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania where mining activity takes place. Inhaling of dust led to their death.

The most distinctive cause of death was flu in Maine, Wyoming and North and South Dakota.

The most distinctive cause of death for Alaska and Idaho was dying in a plane or a boat accident.

The most distinctive cause of death in New Jersey was sepsis.

Inflammatory disease of the pelvic organs was the most distinctive disease in Connecticut and New York.

Death caused by law enforcement, excluding the legal executions were the most distinctive deaths in the sates of Nevada, Oregon and New Mexico. The death caused by a police officer took place at a higher rate than the national average in those three states.

The most distinctive death in Florida was due to HIV, 15,000 people died of it.

In the state of Louisiana the most distinctive death was due to syphilis, 22 people died of it.