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Ever Widening Circles

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History

6 minute lesson

Maps, a Distorted Look at our World

Ever Widening Circles

Have you ever looked at a map of the world and thought, “That doesn’t look quite right…”

Maps are actually pretty fascinating. They can range from works of art to utilitarian tools, storytelling agents to lifesaving documents. However they choose to show the globe in two dimensions, cartographers (map makers) face a major problem, it’s impossible to accurately represent our round earth on a flat piece of paper.

Why It Matters

We look at maps all of the time, and it is important for us to realize how the perspective of the map is different based on the way that it is drawn. Maps can be drawn in all sorts of different ways, with emphasis on different countries or bodies of water, or with different scales. We should know how to put these representations into perspective.

Looking at all of the different projections can actually be quite interesting! It is fascinating to see how different one thing can look based on its projection.

Let's Talk About It
  1. Did you recognize any of the different projections shown in the video?
  2. How can different projections be both good and bad?
  3. If you were a mapmaker, what kind of projection would you try to use to get the shapes and sizes of countries to be the most accurate?
Image: Vox logo

Vox

Vox helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s driving events in the headlines and in our lives.

Thank You

Thanks to EWCed writer Kati Murphy from Clarkson University for this touchstone and for her contribution to EWCed! If you would like to become a contributor, let us know!

Citations

“Why All World Maps Are Wrong.” YouTube. Vox, 02 Dec. 2016. Web. 09 Dec. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIID5FDi2JQ>.

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