Finally got around to scanning my version of a low-distortion map of the world. This is only a sketch to show the general layout. Click to embiggen. The continents are contiguous, except for the places where they cross the Tropics. I stuck in an extra copy of England because of the Prime Meridian, and because I am a true believer in Western Civilization. I wrote about this once before, but I didn't have a scanner at the time.
Monday, August 9, 2010
World Map
Finally got around to scanning my version of a low-distortion map of the world. This is only a sketch to show the general layout. Click to embiggen. The continents are contiguous, except for the places where they cross the Tropics. I stuck in an extra copy of England because of the Prime Meridian, and because I am a true believer in Western Civilization. I wrote about this once before, but I didn't have a scanner at the time.
(I found you via ignoregon.)
ReplyDeleteFascinating. It took me awhile to understand what I was looking at, but it's essentially a globe made flat, right?
Now, all you have to do is make all those correctly-sized continents into one fully-colored illustration.
I've been thinking of maps as well, but I've come to a different conclusion. A history teacher once asked me why the Americas were on the left, and he told us it was because the US is now dominant. We read from left to right, and the Americas is what we see first.
But it registers better to me when Europe is on the left and Alaska is portrayed as closer to Russia than it is on most maps we see today. The Bering Strait makes more sense to me that way.
Alas, there aren't too many maps with Europe on the left for sale in the flat version today. Why is that? Do you know?
Yes, it is essentially a globe made flat. The linked post has more information.
ReplyDeleteWhy are the Americas on the left?
I suspect it's a hold over from when Europeans started exploring the world. The drew maps of areas they new. As they learned about new areas they tacked on the new stuff to the edges, so the maps kind of grew organically outward from their center, which was Europe.
You could easily put the Americas on the right, and Asia on the left. It would put the very big Pacific right in the center of the map. That might be a very good idea.