Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4-3:
New
York City to
Singapore: Map
#2.
Looking at the map in Figure 4-3, three things are suddenly obvious.
First, the global view in this map is much different than in Figure 4-2.
Second,theresultsaredifferent,too.InFigure4-3,goingtoSingaporeviaHelsinkiappears
much shorter than the route via Rome.
Third, one of these maps is lying, but which one?
If you have a globe handy, you can determine the shorter of the two itineraries from New York City
to Singapore. Get a string, pull it taut, and place it on the map so that the string connects New York
City and Singapore. What you observe is that the string passes over the Arctic Circle and shows that
a stopover in Helsinki is a minor detour, but a stopover in Rome is a major detour. If you don't have
a globe, you can't do this demonstration, can you?
Applied Geography: Putting your best
projection forward
Figures 4-2 and 4-3 provide different perspectives on air routes between New York City
and Singapore. While this may seem a strictly academic exercise, airlines that compete
on long-range international itineraries take the matter very seriously. There's an old say-
