Why do countries look bigger on 2D maps than they actually are? Why do they work this way instead of them being their actual size in comparison to others?
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If you have the beam of a projector hit a flat surface at the regular angle the sizes are the same. If you angle that surface, the image is stretched. This can also be seen with street markings that look very elongated from above but when you see them from inside the road they look more normal.
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/977:_Map_Projections
Different map projections are used because they prioritize different things. Mercator preserves angles. If you needed something that preserved areas, you’d sacrifice the angles.
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