A map is more than an instrument for the display of information. It reflects the knowledge about the...
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Transcript of A map is more than an instrument for the display of information. It reflects the knowledge about the...
A map is more than an instrument for the display of information. It reflects the
knowledge about the earth's surface at the time of its design. Once established, it takes on a
life of its own and begins to influence peoples' perceptions
of the world.
Here are some famous examples of maps that dominated the view of
the world for centuries:
This map of the Greek philosopher
Hekataios (a German
reproduction) represents the
Mediterranean view of the earth at 500 B.C. Europe, Asia and Lybia (Africa)
are arranged around Hekataios' birthplace Milet in
the centre.
This map (a German
reproduction) was made by Al Idrisi, an Arab
who lived at around 1200
A.D. It places the prophet's
birthplace Mecca in its centre
The London Psalter Map from the 13th century (a German reproduction) is an
example of the mapping tradition
of the Catholic Church. It puts Jerusalem and
Bethlehem in the centre of the world
This map of the Italian Hieronymus
Marini was produced in 1512, after the American continent became
known to the Europeans. It
shows a larger part of the world but keeps with the
Christian tradition of placing
Jerusalem in its
centre.
The widespread use of maps that do not maintain fidelity of area can lead to
serious errors of judgement about the true
size of countries and continents.
Here is a small test of your own geographical perception
of the world.
How does North America compare in
size with Africa?
North America (Canada and the USA, including Alaska) is ...
A about half the size of Africa. B about 80% of the size of Africa.
C about the same size as Africa. D about 1.2 times the size of Africa. E about 1.5 times the size of Africa.
North America (Canada and the USA, including Alaska) is about 80% of the size of Africa.
Satellite image of North America and Africa
Greenland: 0.8 million sq. miles
Africa: 11.6 million sq. miles
Satellite image of Greenland and Africa
The North Hemisphere compared to the South
The North hemisphere is 18.9 million square miles. The South hemisphere is 38.6 million square miles.
Europe compared to South America
Europe is 3.8 million square miles. South America is 6.9 million square miles.
Africa compared to the Former Soviet Union
The former Soviet Union is 8.7 million square miles. Africa is 11.6 million square miles. [
Greenland Compared to China
•Greenland is 0.8 million square miles. •China is 3.7 million square miles.
Mercator projection
PETERSON PROJECTION
The Peters Map and The Mercator Map
1620: The French cartographer Nicolas Sanson developed this
projection, which is now named after him, from sketches left by
Mercator.
1892: This projection developed by,
and named after, the German cartographer Ernst Hammer has curved
latitudes and longitudes.
The Mollweide projection is found in many geography texts and atlases of today; it goes back
to the German mathematician Karl Brandon Mollweide (1774 - 1825).
In 1772 the German cartographer Johann Heinrich Lambert used the equator as
reference latitude, i.e. he projected the earth's surface outward onto a cylinder that touches
the earth at the equator.
Like all other cylindrical equal area maps Lambert's map combines three important properties:It has fidelity of area It shows north always up and east always to the right It allows cutting and pasting; a map which contains the Pacific Ocean in one piece can therefore easily be produced from the above map by combining its left and right parts: .
A major drawback is the elongated shape of the map, which makes it impractical for reproduction
in books and atlases. Lambert's map therefore has found little use
Annual mean sea surface temperature, shown in Mercator projection
Annual mean sea surface temperature, shown in Gall-Peters projection
Which of the two maps shows a warmer ocean?
both maps are based on the same data and therefore show the same information. You
can see this clearly if you note that the boundary between warm and cold,
identified by the green and yellow belt between red and blue, is located at about
40°N and 40°S in both maps.