What different world maps get right - and what they get wrong
Summary
The United Nations has adopted a new world map called the Equal Earth projection, which shows the sizes of continents more accurately than the traditional Mercator map. The Mercator map, widely used since the 16th century, distorts the size of countries, making places near the poles look much bigger than they really are, while making equatorial regions like Africa appear smaller.Key Facts
- The Mercator map was created in 1569 to help sailors navigate by keeping compass directions straight.
- On the Mercator map, Africa looks about the same size as Greenland, but Africa is actually about 14 times larger.
- The distortion happens because it is impossible to show a round Earth perfectly on a flat map.
- The UN’s new map, the Equal Earth projection, shows land sizes more fairly but loses the straight lines useful for navigation.
- The Equal Earth map was first adopted by 54 African Union countries before the UN’s endorsement.
- Maps affect how people see the importance of different regions politically and economically.
- Another alternative, the Peters map, shows fairer land area sizes but changes the shape of countries.
- No flat map can show area, shape, distance, and direction all perfectly at the same time.
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