Many documentaries seem to agree that the world map we currently use is far from accurate, and it’s misrepresenting the size (and even shape) of many continents, islands and countries. It’s using an outdated projection technique called ” Mercator projection ” that was mainly used for sailing back in the 16th century. Why aren’t we using a map that’s more up to date? Can maps like “thetruesize” website be relied upon?
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Mercator is unique in representing north as up and south as down everywhere while preserving local directions and shapes. This is very useful for navigation, which is what maps are primarily used for. People generally don’t care that much about the size of different places, so it’s ok that it gets distorted.
Drag things around on thetruesize and watch them bend and warp. The size may be correct, but the shape is now wrong. Which is better, really depends on your purpose.
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