Map Projections

   Map projections are an essential part of cartography.  Even though their use is rare with respect to normal everyday commuters in a particular city, different map projections are undoubtedly helpful for government agencies, airport officials, ship captains, etc.  While 3-D globes are an ideal tool of navigating the world, they are not very practical.  2-D maps are used more often because they are versatile in viewing the entire world on one flat sheet of paper.  The reason why having an overview of the entire planet can be useful in, for example, travel activities and government relations is that the map shows the user where all of Earth's cities, countries, continents, oceans, etc. are in relation to each other - the user cannot do this with a 3-D globe.  Perhaps this is the main significance of 2-D maps.  However, flat paper maps are not without imperfections.  The 3-D world is pressed onto the 2-D image - some aspects of the real world do not make it onto the map.
   One example of distortion is related to distance.  For example, the Mercator Map Projection shows that the distance between Washington DC and Kabul is 10,112 miles.  However, the Equidistant Conic Map Projection shows that this distance is 6,972 miles.  That is a difference of 3,140 miles!  Which map is telling the truth?  Or are they both inaccurate?  The actual distance between the two cities is above 6,900 miles.  Map projections fall short of perfection because they distort the actual distance between two locations - some do this to a greater degree than other projections.  In the end, distance is definitely compromised when the actual distance has to be forced onto a certain map projection.  This is not the aspect of the real world that suffers.
   Another example of distortion is the shape of land masses.  In particular, Antarctica always falls into this problem.  The Azimuthal Equidistance Map Projection shows Antarctica as a small continent.  Compared to the size of the US, Antarctica's area seems to be similar.  The "small" countries of Africa are clustered up on their continent and seem to be minute when taken individually.  However, the Mercator Map Projection tells a different story.  This projection presents Antarctica as a giant monster!  The continent is obviously not big, but this projection is misleading with respect to the area.  At a first glance, it seems as if Antarctica could fit in all the countries of the world.  Antarctica's area is skewed, but the areas of other world regions, such as Africa, are not.  In the Mercator Map Projection, Africa seems to be the same size as it is on the Azimuthal Equidistant Map Projection.  Land masses are undoubtedly altered during the process of translation from 3-D to 2-D.
   Even though we live in a highly digitized and technological world, map projections are still being used for their aforementioned versatility.  They have potential because they can be improved to better conform to the standard of the real world.  The Hammer-Aitoff Map Projection gives a good representation of the world.  Antarctica is not a gigantic supercontinent, and the countries of the world are "slanted," giving the projection a 3-D globe feel.  When a user looks at a typical globe, the area he is looking directly at does not have any distortion.  The surrounding areas are distorted relative to his perspective.  2-D maps are also useful for planning the logistics of a major international trip; for example, several users can draw and write on the maps in order to facilitate the planning.  There will always be map distortions in any 2-D projection.  However, there are many map projections to accomodate the various needs different people may have.  The Equidistant Conic Map Projection may be helpful in planning trips over the North Pole.  The Stereographic Map Projection may be useful in planning trips over the South Pole.  There are numerous map projections in existence that are suited for many needs.