World Geography / Unit 1: Geography Skills
1.3 Map Projections
Notes
A map projection is a way of showing the curved Earth on a flat surface. Every flat map distorts at least one of shape, area, distance or direction. A globe distorts the least.
- Mercator: straight lines of latitude and longitude, true directions, useful for navigation. It greatly exaggerates sizes near the poles. Greenland looks about as large as Africa, but Africa is about 14 times larger.
- Equal-area projections (such as Mollweide or Gall-Peters) show land sizes correctly but distort shapes.
- Robinson is a compromise: it slightly distorts both size and shape so the whole world looks reasonable.
- Polar (azimuthal) projections center on a pole and are useful for air routes over the Arctic.
- Choose a projection by purpose: navigation, comparing sizes, or general reference.
Practice
Why is the Mercator projection misleading when comparing the sizes of countries?
Mercator keeps directions true but exaggerates area at high latitudes.
A teacher wants students to compare the true land areas of continents. Which map is the best choice?
Equal-area projections keep sizes in correct proportion, though shapes are distorted.
What is the main idea behind the Robinson projection?
Robinson balances distortions so the world looks fairly natural, but no flat map is perfect.
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