VERY QUICKLY, SKETCH A QUICK MAP OF THE WORLD VERY QUICKLY, SKETCH A QUICK MAP OF THE WORLD. IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE PERFECT, BUT DO THE BEST JOB THAT YOU CAN. THIS SHOULD TAKE YOU ABOUT 5 MINUTES.

Compare your map to the rest of your group Compare your map to the rest of your group. List the differences for each map- the location and size of each map’s features. Can you explain the differences somehow? Did the differences surprise you?

The following PowerPoint is adapted from the Daily Mail article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2596783/Why-world-map-youre-looking-WRONG-Africa-China-Mexico-distorted-despite-access-accurate-satellite-data.html#ixzz39wdGZrqR

In reality China is four times bigger than Greenland, Africa is three times bigger than North America and Mexico is larger than Alaska. The distortion is the result of the Mercator projection, the map most commonly seen hanging in classrooms and in text books, which was created in 1596 to help sailors navigate the world.

One of the best alternatives to the Mercator projection was presented in 1974 by D. Arno Peters (pictured). The Gall-Peters projection makes seeing the relative size of places much easier. However it also has its flaws as certain places appear stretched, horizontally near the poles and vertically near the Equator

A depiction of the world by Henricus Martellus A depiction of the world by Henricus Martellus. It's said that Columbus used this map or one like it to persuade Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile to support him in the early 1490s. The map was made by a German cartographer living in Florence and reflects the latest theories about the form of the world and the most accurate ways of portraying it on a flat surface

Why is the North Pole on top?

The next slide is a photo of a hand drawn world map The next slide is a photo of a hand drawn world map. It was drawn in 1844; therefore, the countries are named differently. The biggest challenge is that it is impossible to portray the reality of the spherical world on a flat map.

Let’s wrap up the last 2 lessons about perspective (expectations, interpretation and context). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lR7s1Y6Zig

I KNOW SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO WOULD VERY MUCH DISAGREE WITH THE DOMINANCE = NORTH IDEA. THEY PROPOSE THAT THE NORTH WAS DRAWN ON TOP BECAUSE OF THE MAGNETISM OF THE NORTH POLE. MAPS WERE MADE BY PEOPLE WHO WERE NAVAGATING BY COMPASS; THEREFORE, TO THEM IT IS SIMPLY REASONABLE THE NORTH IS A FOCAL POINT.