Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
fact is that stretching here and pulling there to make a flat map screws up the relative sizes of
continents, oceans, and everything else on Earth.
Isn't there a truthful map anywhere?
Many maps are honest. But before I point some of them out to you, let me re-emphasize that flat map
untruthfulness is related to Earth's curvature. Obviously, big portions of Earth involve more curvature
than small portions.
A flat map of the entire world is going to lie a lot because so much curvature is involved. In contrast,
a flat map of the United States has the potential of being more truthful (strictly geographically speak-
ing) because the area of the United States has less curvature than the entire world. A flat map of the
town or area in which you live — well, now we're talking little fibs as opposed to big lies because
your local surroundings do not have
that
much of Earth's curved surface. And if we're talking about
a map of your back yard, that could be an absolutely honest map because Earth's curvature over such
a small space is virtually nil.
So, yes there are honest maps, but only ones that involve relatively small portions of Earth's surface.
Geography, however, involves study of the whole Earth or portions of it that typically are bigger than
your backyard. That means curvature is involved and therefore the likelihood of dealing with dishon-
est maps.
One and only honest map: The globe!
A
globe
is a spherical map of the world. I'm almost embarrassed to write that because everybody
knows a globe when they see one. But over the years, I've been amazed at the number of people who
tell me that a globe isn't a map because, according to them, maps are by definition flat. Not so. A
globe is a representation of Earth; so, by definition, it most definitely is a map.
The globe is the one and only honest map of the world. Because the globe has the same shape as
Earth, the appearance of Earth on a globe is free of distortion. Put differently, a globe doesn't lie flat
so it doesn't lie at all. On a side note, globes are very attractive and fun to look at. Place one con-
spicuously in your home and guests are likely to think you have good taste and are very intellectual.
