True Size World Map report
Have you ever wondered how the Earth is a three-dimensional sphere, how people draw the world map on a two-dimensional paper? All countries on the world map use the "Mercator projection" — a 2D representation of the globe created in the 1500s.
Different countries select different map centers, East Asian countries generally center on Asia, and other regions such as Europe and the United States generally center on the Atlantic Ocean. But no matter which continent is at the center, the size of each country on the map is severely distorted. Maps can seriously affect our understanding of the actual size of each country and region.
The world map in our inherent impression comes from a mapmaker in 1569. In order to have the north side of everything facing upwards, each line of latitude must be drawn as long as the equator. However, the parallel length is the length of the equator multiplied by cos. Let's know more about the true size world map in the following post.
World Map Size Guide
It is obvious that the Mercator map does not accurately reflect the true size of countries, given the impossibility of representing a 3D object on a 2D surface. The projection distorts the size of things as the latitude increases from the equator to the poles, where the scale becomes infinite.
People's ideas of geography are not founded on facts but Mercator's map. However, cartographers have produced other ways to visualize the globe over the centuries. With the power of technology, endeavors like the True Size Map are also helping to change our size perceptions of the world.
Physical World Map Size
A physical world map in standard size presents the deep-sea floor formation with exquisite hand-drawn relief. You can see the seven continents of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and Antarctica, and there are also the North Pole region and Antarctica. Some detailed maps will show the tectonic plates of the Earth and the world's climate zones. The world maps are usually available in two different sizes:
- Standard size: 116 x 77 cm
- Large size: 175 x 122 cm
True Size World Map
Have you ever looked at a world map and wondered how the actual geographical size of one country? The True Size Map is an interesting tool that allows you to drag countries and continents around the Mercator map and discover how big they are. It shows the square miles for each place.
True Size Map restores the real geographic size, particularly in the case of the African continent. The real size of Africa is larger than that of the United States, India, and China combined, and it is the second-largest continent in the world. And in the Mercator Projection, Greenland and Africa are roughly the same sizes. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger. Mercator 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, but they actually occupy a mere 5%.
Conclusion
2D maps actually fool almost everyone. True Size World Map shows the real area ratios of various countries in the world, which makes it easier for people to understand the territories of different countries in the world correctly. It will play an essential role in scientific research, geographic education in primary and secondary schools, and the popularization of territory knowledge.
