Tag

Mercator Projection

All articles tagged with #mercator projection

world27 days ago•12 min saved

Does the Equal Earth map really change Africa's size on the world stage?

The UN endorsed the Equal Earth projection to display landmasses more fairly by reducing Mercator distortions that exaggerate polar regions and make Africa appear smaller. Cartographers say it’s better for education and policy, but navigation and global adoption remain voluntary, requiring changes to textbooks, media and maps; geopolitical debates (e.g., Crimea) illustrate how map choices intersect with politics, though a universal switch would require coordinated investment and effort.

via The Conversation|

#cartography #cognitive-justice #equal-earth-projection

world1 month ago•5 min saved

France abandons Mercator, adopts Eckert IV to show continents by true size

France will phase out the Mercator projection in its diplomatic maps and switch to Eckert IV to better reflect continental sizes, aligning with a UN push toward equal-area projections like Equal Earth. The change is gradual (begun in 2021) and not a universal replacement, as Mercator remains used in some contexts and by platforms like Google Maps. At the UN, 164 countries backed a move toward equal-area maps (1 against, 6 abstentions), and while Eckert IV is similar to Equal Earth, it is not identical.

via Euronews|

#eckert-iv #equal-earth #france-diplomacy

world1 month ago•3 min saved

UN backs Equal Earth map to reveal Africa's true size

The UN General Assembly backed a non-binding push to replace the Mercator projection with the Equal Earth map, with 164 countries in favor, the United States against, and six abstentions; the resolution argues the new projection more accurately shows Africa’s true size and hopes governments and institutions adopt it, a move France welcomed by abandoning Mercator.

via Al Jazeera|

#africa #cartography #equal-earth-projection

world1 month ago•2 min saved

UN backs fairer world maps to correct Africa’s size, despite U.S. opposition

The United Nations largely endorsed a non-binding resolution to promote map projections that reflect true continental sizes, led by Africa and advocating the Equal Earth projection to counter Mercator distortions; the United States was the sole vote against, calling it part of a larger ideological project.

via politico.eu|

#africa #equal-earth-projection #mercator-projection

world1 month ago•3 min saved

UN approves new world map to reflect Africa’s true size

The UN General Assembly voted 164-1 with six abstentions to back the Equal Earth projection as a more accurate representation of land areas, especially Africa, and to promote its use in schools, media and digital platforms. The move is non-binding and does not affect navigation, with France co-sponsoring and Togo leading the campaign; the United States opposed, calling it an ideological agenda.

via Al Jazeera|

#africa #colonial-legacy #equal-earth

world1 month ago•7 min saved

UN adopts a more accurate world map highlighting Africa’s true size

The UN General Assembly voted 164 in favor (with six abstentions) to replace the traditional Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection to better reflect Africa’s true size; the non-binding decision will influence maps used by UN bodies and institutions worldwide, with the United States as the sole dissenting nation.

via BBC|

#africa #equal-earth-projection #maps

world1 month ago•203 min saved

UN Adopts Equal Earth Map to Correct Global Size Distortions

The United Nations General Assembly voted 164 in favor, with six abstentions and only the United States against, to replace the Mercator projection with the Equal Earth map so countries are shown at their true relative sizes. Led by African nations and the AU, the move aims to correct centuries of distortions that minimize Africa and other regions and calls on tech platforms to adopt the more accurate projection; France signaled support for the switch.

via CNN|

#africa #equal-earth-projection #maps

world1 month ago•3 min saved

UN to vote on Africa-friendly world map to correct scale bias

The UN General Assembly will vote on a non-binding resolution to replace the Mercator map with the Africa-accurate Equal Earth projection, a campaign led by Togo and backed by the African Union. If passed, it could influence education and technology as classrooms and platforms update to reflect Africa’s true size; organizers plan UNESCO, AU, and Google Maps-backed events to map out implementation.

via The Guardian|

#africa #cartography #equal-earth

science10 months ago•4 min saved

Perceptions vs. Reality: How World Maps Distort Our View

A large-scale study found that people's mental images of the world are more accurate than traditional classroom maps suggest, with most individuals' perceptions aligning closer to reality, especially when exposed to balanced map projections like Robinson, highlighting the influence of map design and education on geographic understanding.

via Earth.com|

#geography-education #map-projections #mental-maps

science2 years ago•2 min saved

"Debunking the Myth: Sailing Straight from USA to India"

People are confused about how one can sail from the USA to India in a straight line due to the distortions caused by the Mercator projection, a common map representation. This cylindrical map projection distorts size and shape, especially away from the equator, making straight lines on a globe appear differently on a flat map. Despite these distortions, a straight-line course from the USA to India is possible with minimal steering adjustments.

via IFLScience|

#geography #map-distortion #mercator-projection

geography3 years ago•5 min saved

"Straight Line Sailing: Viral Map Stuns Social Media and Elon Musk"

A map showing a straight line route from India to the USA has captivated social media users, despite the practical challenges posed by ocean currents and Antarctic ice sheets. The map, which appears curved on a 2D surface, is actually a straight line when drawn on a globe. The Mercator projection, commonly used in maps, distorts the shape of landmasses and makes straight lines appear curved. In 2012, a Reddit user identified an even longer straight line sea journey from Pakistan to Russia, inspiring computer scientists to develop an algorithm to find the longest possible routes on Earth.

via Daily Mail|

#geography #great-circles #maps

geography3 years ago•5 min saved

"Insightful Maps: Revealing the True Size and Meaning of Earth's Countries"

A climate data scientist at the Met Office has created a two-dimensional representation of what the world really looks like, revealing that many countries, including Russia, Canada, and Greenland, are not nearly as big as we think. This phenomenon can be attributed to the Mercator projection, a map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in textbooks, which was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world. It gives the right shapes of land masses, but at the cost of distorting their sizes in favour of the wealthy lands to the north. Africa is actually three times the size of North America and also significantly larger than Russia, despite the opposite appearing true when looking at a map.

via Daily Mail|

#africa #country-sizes #geography