![]() An equidistant map projection shows true distances, but only from the center of the projection or along specific lines.A conformal map projection preserves the shape of small areas but distorts their size.Each type of projection has its advantages and disadvantages. Typically, this choice will depend on the purpose and scope of the map. Logically, a map user must be aware of which mapping properties remain accurate and which will be distorted in a particular projection. There are several ways to project the Earth’s surface to create a map (there are about 15-20 map projections in use today). ![]() A classic example of this representation is to think of the Earth’s surface as the peel of an orange-even small pieces of the peel will stretch and tear apart as they are flattened. This is true because it is impossible to create an absolutely accurate map by flattening out the Earth’s land masses. Projecting the Earth onto PaperĪ globe is the most accurate representation of the Earth. Mercator projections present a surrealistic view of the world that makes them inappropriate choices for use in classrooms or in any application that compares separate regions of the world. This distortion poses a significant limitation for any use other than navigation. On a Mercator map, Greenland looks larger than China, even though China actually is four times larger than Greenland. Alaska is appears to be three times larger than Mexico, although Mexico actually is larger than Alaska. In reality, South America is almost twice the size of Europe. This arrangement depicts Europe as being larger than South America. The Equator is placed 2/3 of the way down the map rather than halfway down. When the Mercator projection was created, the custom among map-makers was to place the map-maker’s country-in this case, Germany-at the center of the map.
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