6 minute lesson
Maps, a Distorted Look at our World
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.
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