Types of Map Projections

Study Notes

Types of Map Projections

Mercator Projection
- Conformal map showing true direction and accurate land shapes.
- Size and distance distortions, especially for areas far from the Equator.
- Example: Alaska appears significantly larger than on a globe.
Mollweide Projection
- Equal-area map representing correct size of landmasses relative to each other.
- Distorts shapes of areas, particularly at the poles.
- Oval shape design.
Van Der Grinten Projection
- Represents the entire Earth within a circle.
- Notable distortion of polar regions.
- Rounded projection style.
Robinson Projection
- Aims to balance multiple projection errors.
- Does not perfectly maintain area, shape, distance, or direction but minimizes errors overall.
- Oval shape similar to Mollweide but flatter at the poles.
Polar Projection
- Azimuthal projection with a focus on one of the poles.
- Provides a three-dimensional view of the selected pole.
Dymaxion Projection
- Designed to minimize distortion of major land masses.
- Composed of triangular shapes to represent the Earth effectively.
Azimuthal Projection
- Shows true compass directions with straight longitude lines and circular latitude lines.
- More distortion occurs towards the outer edges of the map.
- Resembles a disc layout.
Conformal Projection
- Preserves angles at each point, maintaining accurate shapes of small areas.
- Leads to distortion in the size of most areas.
Conic Projection
- Projects the Earth's surface onto a tangent or secant cone.
- The cone is then unrolled into a flat surface.
Cylindrical Projection
- Projects the Earth's surface onto a tangent or secant cylinder.
- Cut lengthwise and laid flat for representation.
Equal-area Projection
- Ensures every part of the map retains corresponding areas accurately relative to the Earth.
- Maintains area at the same reduced scale throughout the map.
Planar Projection
- Results from projecting the Earth onto a tangent or secant plane.
- Often overlaps with azimuthal projections in design.

Description

Explore different types of map projections with this quiz. Learn about the Mercator and Mollweide projections and how they impact the representation of land shapes and sizes. Test your understanding of their characteristics and applications.