Geography For Dummies. Jerry T. Mitchell

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Geography For Dummies - Jerry T. Mitchell


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      Lack of detail

      Because globes entail the whole world, they tend to show less detail. Next time you’re face-to-face with the typical desktop globe, look for the region in which you live. Unless you are a resident of a big city, there’s a good chance the globe doesn’t show your hometown. And suppose you wanted a detailed map of your home area. How big would a globe have to be to include that kind of information? Probably as big as the Empire State Building. Globes are good for giving you the big picture, but if you want to view an area in detail then you better get a flat map.

      Inefficient data storage

      Two paragraphs ago, I mentioned a globe with a 12-inch diameter. If you want to take it somewhere, you can’t fold it up and put it in your pocket. It probably won’t even fit in your backpack. In contrast, I have an atlas that is 12 inches long, 8 inches wide, 1.5 inches thick and contains more than 100 maps. Better still, you can find all kinds of different maps via the internet. By comparison, globes are very inefficient when it comes to data storage. (Besides, it’s very difficult to walk around carrying a globe and look cool at the same time.)

      How serious are these disadvantages? So serious that you’ll need to amend a pearl of wisdom you learned as a kid. Honesty is the best policy except when it comes to globes. Globes are truthful, but the truth in this case comes at a very high and bulky price.

      Telling the truth, but telling it skewed

       Unlimited field of view: You can show as much or as little of Earth as you want on a flat map.

       Low cost: Flat maps cost much less than globes. In fact, a good-sized atlas containing hundreds of maps may cost less than a single globe.

       Accommodates detail: Want to show a small area in great detail? Not a problem on a flat map.

       Efficient data storage: You can fold up a flat map and put it in your pocket. Or you can put the equivalent of a hundred globes in a single atlas and carry it in your hand or stick it in your backpack. Or you can search online via your smart phone for a map of about just any place you want. That’s better than trying to carry 100 globes, right?

      

The bottom line is that it’s okay if flat maps lie, as long as you know you are being lied to and understand the nature of the lie.

      If you are a veteran map-gawker, you know that all world maps don’t look the same. And if you’re not, then look again at Figures 4-2 and 4-3. Figure 4-2 looks something like a rectangle, shows the entire Earth, and is centered on the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian. Figure 4-3 is a circle, shows only the Northern Hemisphere, and is centered on the North Pole. As mentioned earlier, the two maps offer contrasts with respect to the ways maps lie: distance, direction, shape, and size.

      The appearances in the maps differ because of different kinds of projections. That is, the maps are products of different methods of transferring the curved globe to a flat surface. Over the years, cartographers have developed literally dozens of different projections. Most maps are accurate and/or visually pleasing in some respects, although inaccurate or visually displeasing in other respects.

      

At this point, you may feel like saying, “Look, Jerry, why don’t you spare me the details? Just tell me which projection is the best one so we can move on to the next chapter.” I wish it were that simple; I really do. But the simple fact is that a winning projection doesn’t exist. Every projection has good points and bad points. The trick is to know the pluses and minuses of particular projections so that choosing the best map for specific purposes is easier. It really is a case of different strokes for different folks, or at least different projections for specific situations.

      All in the (map) family

       Azimuthal (or planar): A flat piece of paper (or plane, hence planar) is placed against the globe. The globe is then projected onto the flat paper, rendering a flat map.

       Cylindrical: A paper cylinder is placed over a globe. The globe is projected onto the paper. The cylinder is then cut vertically and unwrapped from the globe, yielding a flat map of the world.

       Conical: A conical paper hat is placed on the globe. The portion of the globe under the hat is projected onto the paper. The paper is cut in a straight line from its edge to the tip of the cone. The cone is then opened up and put down flat.

Schematic illustration of families of map projections.

      (© John Wiley & Sons Inc.)

      FIGURE 4-4: Families of map projections.

This reminds me to remind you that the process of projection does not literally involve projecting a globe onto a flat surface. Instead, mathematical formulas are used to plot the locations of lines (latitude, longitude, continental boundaries, and so on) on maps. Thanks to satellite imagery, you can now check the accuracy of your work in a way that was never possible before.

      Five noteworthy liars

      

Here are five rather well-known projections that represent the range of formats shown in Figure 4-4. There will not be a test over this. I repeat, there will not be a test. So don’t try to memorize this stuff, but instead, just sort of let the maps visually soak in to give you an appreciation of the variety of projections that are available.

      The Mercator projection

Schematic illustration of the Mercator projection.

      (© John Wiley & Sons Inc.)

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