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The World Map is a Lie.
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First time I saw the real world map I was shockedIt's so different than what we have been shown since we were kids
Africa especially is misrepresented - but really should this be a surprise given how regularly Africa is overlooked in world affairs?
I'm not sure the OP is stating the observation accurately. All flat maps are distorted. All of them. There's not a single flat map which is not distorted. But it's neither malevolence or prejudice which in any way, lies behind it. There's simply no other way to represent a 3-d object (such as spheres or globes) on a 2d planar surface without distorting. The only question is, what gets distorted? There's usually a choice between 'area' or 'shape'. Mapmakers usually strike a delicate balance, sacrificing proportions wherever they can in order to keep national borders faithful. Naturally, the boundaries of Antarctica, Africa, or South America matter a lot less to us in America and Western Europe. But if you purchase a map in South America or Africa, you would see that our countries are, in turn, distorted by mapmakers there. Cartographers in every part of the world have their choice of how they might want to represent data, in order to carry out their task. Just FYI.
Why every world map you're looking at is WRONG: Africa, China and India are distorted despite access to accurate satellite dataRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetec...


For instance, on our traditional map, Greenland and Africa appear to be of a similar size, when actually Africa is fourteen times larger. South America is nearly double the size of Europe. And so on. Not to mention the layout of the map, where our eyes are drawn to the intended positions of such 'great nations' as the U.S.A, for instance.
This short video is a brilliant comedic send up on the topic with some important facts!
http://youtu.be/AhFuy38shSI
The Peters Projection map -a brilliant and more accurate version of our countries' sizes- can be seen in this short video:
http://youtu.be/iLm-hU0qd3k