As we now know the Earth is round. Therefore, the challenge of any world map is to represent a round Earth on a flat surface. There are literally thousands of map projections and each has certain strengths and corresponding weaknesses, but the one you’re now picturing in your head most likely isn’t the area accurate representation. The most widely used map today is the Mercator projection map. Mercator maps often appear in businesses, in libraries and in classrooms where geography is taught. This popularity is surprising, given the fact that the Mercator projection was first constructed in 1569. The more accurate representation of land mass is the Peters Projection Map: (2nd map image) Here’s a direct representation of the previously assumed factual map with the real flattened version: (3rd map image) The Peters Projection Map shows how Africa is larger than the combination of China, the US, Western Europe, India, Argentina, three Scandinavian countries and the British Isles. Mercator maps show Europe as being larger than South America. In reality, South America is almost twice the size of Europe. Alaska appears to be three times larger than Mexico, although Mexico actually is larger than Alaska. Greenland looks roughly the same size as Africa, when, in fact, Africa is fourteen times larger than Greenland. Africa also looks considerably smaller than Russia, even though Africa is actually 33% larger. To see how big the western countries have become, it’s hard to see how this has nothing to do with suppression; to make us believe they are ‘bigger’ and ‘on top’. A simple change in the look of a map can cause a reconsideration of your fixed ideas about a place.
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 03:05:34 +0000