Why the Mercator projection is wrong?

Mercator maps distort the shape and relative size of continents, particularly near the poles. The popular Mercator projection distorts the relative size of landmasses, exaggerating the size of land near the poles as compared to areas near the equator.

Is the real map upside down?

The simple answer to the question was this: It isn’t upside-down at all. In a flip of convention, my giant, framed world map displays the southern hemisphere — Australia included — at the top. It’s a twist, but not strictly speaking a distortion.

What is the difference between the Mercator and Peters projection?

In addition, Mercator only distorts longitudinal distances (except very close to the poles), whereas Peters screws up the scale almost everywhere for both longitude and latitude. This is why Mercator beats out Peters in the world of cartography, and why Google Maps uses a modified Mercator projection.

What is wrong with the Peters projection?

Countries are stretched horizontally near the poles and vertically near the Equator, so although the size may be right, the shape definitely isn’t. The problem is, it’s impossible to stretch the 3D sphere shape of the Earth onto a 2D sheet of paper.

Why are we not upside down in Australia?

Remember that the Earth is a sphere, like a giant ball: so there is no “up” or “down”, since a sphere is symmetric. That is, it looks the same no matter what way you look at it. So, people in Australia have just as much right to call themselves “up” as people in the Northern Hemisphere do!

What is wrong with gall-Peters Projection?

The Gall-Peters projection (shown below) makes seeing the relative size of places much easier. Despite these benefits, the Gall-Peters projection has its flaws. It doesn’t enlarge areas as much as the Mercator projection, but certain places appear stretched, horizontally near the poles and vertically near the Equator.

What is wrong with the Peters Projection?

Where is the south up map in the west wing?

South-up maps are commonly available as novelties or sociopolitical statements in southern hemisphere locales, particularly Australia. A south-up oriented world map appears in The West Wing season 2 episode 16, and issues of cultural bias are discussed in relation to it.

Is the Peters projection on the west wing correct?

The Peters projection is not without its blemishes either — it looks like it’s got post-diet stretch marks, since there’s just not enough land to effectively translate onto a flat map. If you’re still not entirely sure what on earth we’re talking about, let The West Wing explain.

Is the upside down map of the world correct?

The upside-down world map is a great way to remind us to be open to different ways of seeing things. The truth is, it’s not even correct to call it an “upside down” map of the world because there is no upside! Did This Page Help You?

Where can I buy an upsidedown map of the Americas?

ODT have three south up maps with a choice of projection; you can buy them from ODT by phone. There is a short history of ODT in the Northeastern University magazine. An upsidedown map of the Americas called A New World of Understanding by Jesse Levine is available from Laguna Sales, 4015 Orme Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306 or 415-494-7729.