In cartography, projections are ways of representing the earth's surface on a map. Because the earth is round, any map distorts the area it represents (just as flattening out an orangepeel distorts its original shape). Only a globe can be really accurate. Different types of projection have been worked out, each suited to a particular purpose. The two main ones are Conical and Cylindrical. The former shows each hemisphere as a cone which has been unrolled. A Cylindrical Projection shows the earth as though it were an unrolled cylinder. Mercator's projection is cylindrical. Its main fault is that it makes the Equator out to be the same length as all other latitudes, even those near the Poles, which are really only a few miles long. Thus countries near the Poles appear far larger than they really are. Research Projections
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Research Projections