world map projections
Transferring the earth's features onto a flat map using a grid composed of lines of longitude and latitude.
It may come as a surprise to learn that every world map you've ever seen is wrong.
Not because the cartographer made a mistake, but because representing a spherical planet on a flat sheet of paper is impossible without introducing some degree of distortion.
Only a globe can represent the Earth precisely. Every world map projection is therefore a compromise. Some preserve shape, others preserve area, while some aim to strike a balance between the two. The choices made by the cartographer can dramatically alter how we see the world and the relationships between its continents and countries.
The projections below each tell a different story about our planet.
world map projection
Mercator
For much of the twentieth century, the world was portrayed using the Mercator projection, originally produced in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator for navigational purposes.
In order to represent the world on a flat surface, Mercator treated the earth as a cylinder, keeping the lines of latitude parallel to one another rather than allowing them to converge at the poles. This preserved the shapes of countries and coastlines, an essential quality for navigation, but required increasing amounts of stretching as the distance from the equator increased.
The result was a map that maintained local shape remarkably well, but at the expense of area. Countries closest to the poles became dramatically enlarged. Greenland, for example, appears more than five times larger than it really is, while Canada and Russia are both significantly exaggerated in size.
Despite these distortions, the Mercator projection remained the world's most familiar map for centuries and continues to influence how many people visualise the world today.
world map projection
Cylindrical Equal Area
The cylindrical equal-area projection takes a different approach to Mercator's projection. Rather than preserving shape, it prioritises area, ensuring countries are shown in their correct proportional size..
This is achieved by narrowing the lines of latitude as they approach the poles, compensating for the lack of convergence in the lines of longitude. The result is a very different vision of our planet, one that gives equal importance to all parts of the world, regardless of their distance from the equator.
Although the projection introduces significant distortion of shape, it highlights the shortcomings of the Mercator projection as a geographical teaching aid and encourages us to reconsider our perception of the relative size of countries and continents.
The projection gained widespread public attention during the 1970s through the work of German historian Arno Peters, who promoted his version of Gall's orthographic projection, first published in 1855. More than sixteen million Peters maps were eventually distributed worldwide.
By the late twentieth century, cartographers had become increasingly critical of rectangular world maps. In 1989, the American Cartographic Association issued a resolution urging publishers and agencies to cease using rectangular world maps for general reference and educational purposes, helping pave the way for a new generation of projections.
world map projection
Robinson
In 1963, map publisher Rand McNally asked Arthur H. Robinson to develop a world map projection that would provide a more balanced representation of the world.
Unable to find an existing projection that met his requirements, Robinson created one from scratch. Rather than relying solely on mathematical formulae, he adopted what he later described as an "artistic approach", adjusting the projection through a process of visual refinement until he achieved the balance he was seeking.
"I visualised the best-looking shapes and sizes," Robinson explained in a 1988 interview with The New York Times. "I worked with the variables until it got to the point where, if I changed one of them, it didn't get any better."
The resulting projection is neither equal-area nor conformal. Instead, it aims to minimise the overall visual distortion of the world, creating a map that feels natural and familiar whilst avoiding the extreme exaggerations found in many earlier projections.
Although initially slow to gain public acceptance, the Robinson projection eventually became one of the most widely used world maps of the twentieth century. Its reputation was cemented in 1988 when the National Geographic Society adopted it as its standard world map projection.
world map projection
Winkel Tripel
The Winkel Tripel projection was developed by German cartographer Oswald Winkel in 1921 with the goal of minimising three common forms of distortion: area, distance and direction. Its name comes from the German word "Tripel", meaning triple.
Rather than prioritising a single characteristic, the projection seeks a careful balance between competing demands. It is neither equal-area nor conformal, but succeeds in reducing overall distortion across the map more effectively than many of its predecessors.
One of its most distinctive features is its graceful curved meridians and parallels, which create a strong sense of the globe's spherical form. The result is a world map that feels both geographically accurate and visually pleasing.
The projection first appeared in the 1955 edition of The Times Atlas of the World and gradually gained favour amongst cartographers seeking a balanced compromise between size, shape and distance.
In 1998, the National Geographic Society adopted the Winkel Tripel projection as its standard world map, replacing the Robinson projection. It remains one of the most respected and widely used world map projections today, admired for its ability to present the world with remarkable balance and clarity.
world map projection
Sinu-Mollweide
The Sinu-Mollweide projection was developed in 1927 by combining two earlier equal-area projections: the sinusoidal projection of the sixteenth century and the Mollweide projection of 1805. The result is a projection that preserves the relative size of countries and continents whilst creating a more balanced overall view of the world.
The projection uses the sinusoidal form in the equatorial regions, where distortion is naturally lower, and gradually transitions to the Mollweide projection towards the poles. This approach reduces the stretching often associated with equal-area projections and creates a more harmonious appearance.
Although shapes become increasingly distorted towards the outer edges of the map, the Sinu-Mollweide remains an excellent projection for illustrating the distribution of land across the globe. Its flowing outline and equal-area properties make it particularly attractive as both a geographical reference and a piece of wall art.
World Map Projection
Peirce Quincuncial
The Peirce Quincuncial projection is one of the most unusual and visually striking projections ever created. Developed by the American mathematician Charles Sanders Peirce in 1879, it projects the world onto a square, rather than the more familiar rectangle or ellipse.
The projection is conformal, meaning that it preserves local shapes and angles remarkably well across much of the map. Distortion is pushed away from the continents and concentrated into a small number of points within the oceans, allowing landmasses to retain their familiar appearance despite the projection's unconventional layout.
Its square format creates a fascinating alternative view of the world. Antarctica forms a continuous border around the map, while the continents appear arranged around a central Atlantic Ocean. The result is a projection that is mathematically elegant, geographically intriguing and unlike almost any other world map.
Although rarely used for general reference mapping, the Peirce Quincuncial projection has become a favourite amongst cartographers, mathematicians and map enthusiasts for its ability to challenge our assumptions about how the world should be represented.
More than a century after its invention, the Peirce Quincuncial remains one of the most imaginative and beautiful ways of viewing our planet.