Just don't use inappropriate map projections. Problem solved.
Any respectable map publisher would use something like Winkel-Tripel or Robinson for a map of the world.
Any respectable map publisher would use something like Winkel-Tripel or Robinson for a map of the world.
For a good overview of the whole world, I prefer a map that shows the world is round, but they break down as soon as you zoom in.
We have webgl now. Project a globe as google maps does when you zoom out.
But unlike other maps you have the option to rotate any place on the map into the center where the distortions are minimal.
Plus humans have intuitive awareness of how looking at a sphere distorts things, which is something other maps obscure.
https://geoawesomeness.com/bbc-changes-controversial-weather...
But I figured I'd check first. No idea when they changed this, but it's pretty awesome. I wanted to say it'll probably be a while before classrooms can have those kind of maps, but all classrooms I'm aware of already have an electronic screen as board, so they already have it.
I guess that makes the whole discussion pretty much moot now.
It’s beyond me why people seem to be baffled by the area distortion of the Mercator projection - is this not taught in high school geography classes in the USA?
Which is pretty strange, considering most classrooms and even homes have a globe laying around.
Maybe I’m just severely overestimating the scientific knowledge of the average person.
In geography, we would learn what's on the map, not how the map was created and the different projections a map can have.
Because of this weird system, I feel the Mercator projection would be most relevant in... A geometry course? And as silly as it is, that was indeed my initial reaction to your comment, which made me laugh.
So map projections are in limbo between course subjects. I think that's why the Mercator projection is basically meme status -- That blind spot in education hits us all by surprise, it seems dead obvious, and so it tickles the funny bone.
Or simple when the map itself is secondary to the information presented on the map.
Regarding your second map, I remember clearly in my geography classes the teacher refused to show us a simple map of the world (always a globe) until we actually learned about projections. It was a bit extreme but effective at conveying the fact that all projections distort things one way or another.
There is no 2d projection that can get everything right.