Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

[daftandbarmy]

Mercator Misconceptions: Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries

The vast majority of us aren’t using paper maps to chart our course across the ocean anymore, so critics of the Mercator projection argue that the continued use of this style of map gives users a warped sense of the true size of countries – particularly in the case of the African continent.

Mercator’s map inadvertently also pumps up the sizes of Europe and North America. Visually speaking, Canada and Russia appear to take up approximately 25% of the Earth’s surface, when in reality they occupy a mere 5%.

http://www.visualcapitalist.com/mercator-map-true-size-of-countries/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialWarfare&fbclid=IwAR3uOeytoM9t8IwSKpg4yuTedm1sxZ5RQ_--2_nPjcym8LdXKwwjoTYyzFs

 

[Journeyman]

The biggest map deceit comes to anyone riding a motorcycle west from Ontario, north of Lake Superior;  at some point you read the small print and realize that the two sides of the map (northern and southern Ontario) are two different scales. 

This was reinforced by two American military buddies who, several days after meeting up in Kingston, phoned, saying "you'll never guess where we are"  "Yep, you're still in Ontario  ;D "

[Mind you, they were out of Ft Bragg, where you can cross several state borders per day]

 

[FSTO]

Anyone old enough to remember the Neilson Chocolate Maps? As a kid I could almost hear "Rule Britannia" emanating from these maps!

 

[Old Sweat]

Anyone old enough to remember the Neilson Chocolate Maps? As a kid I could almost hear "Rule Britannia" emanating from these maps!

I remember in public school having our teacher demonstrate why the sun never sets on the British Empire using one of these maps. Cripes, I may still have had some baby teeth back then.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Anyone old enough to remember the Neilson Chocolate Maps? As a kid I could almost hear "Rule Britannia" emanating from these maps!

Yes, and I was always wondered why they chose the colour pink to designate the Empire.

 

[Remius]

Yes, and I was always wondered why they chose the colour pink to designate the Empire.

I could only find two reasons that sound legit.

Pink was the colour of the Tudors.  I find this one a bit of a stretch.

The more likely reason was that red made maps hard to read.  so pink was used as some sort of compromise to allow the lettering to show better.

 

[FJAG]

Always knew that the Mercator map distorted northern and southern features, but this is the best demonstration of it I've ever seen.

Thanks for that.

:cheers: