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2. The Peters Map

3. The Peters Projection Map © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

4. Arno Peters, 2001, Germany © www.ODTmaps.com

5. Dr. Arno Peters was working on a history of the world in 1950. He was frustrated to discover that most maps in use at the time did not represent country sizes accurately.

6. Mercator Map (showing incorrect sizes)

7. The image of the world we are most familiar with is the Mercator Projection. It was developed is 1569 by Flemish cartographer, Gerhardus Mercator.

8. Courtesy of the National Geographic Society. www.odtmaps.org/link.htm#mercwww.odtmaps.org/link.htm#merc Original Mercator Map

9. Even as recently as 2001, Mercator’s projection was published and sold widely around the world.

10. Outline Mercator Map

11. The challenge of Mercator (and Peters) was to find a way to represent the round earth on a flat surface. This technique is called “map projection.”

12. © Akademische Verlagsanstalt & www.ODT.maps.com Projecting the World onto a Plane

13. Mercator's map projection was intended to aid in navigation. For this purpose it was a very good map, and is still used by airline pilots and ship captains today.

14. Early Sailing Ship

15. Current regional sea charts still use the Mercator projection

16. Current political map on Mercator projection © Rand McNally, 2001

17. Unfortunately, the widespread popularity of Mercator's image introduces some false notions about the world we live in.

18. The Northern Hemisphere takes up 2/3 of the map

19. We rarely think about how the equator is centered BELOW the midpoint of the Mercator projection.

20. The “North” vs the “South” This means that the Northern Hemisphere countries typically visually dominate and occupy two-thirds of the space on the map.

21. The “North” vs the “South”

22. Who would guess that the land mass of the “North” was actually less than half the size of the land mass of the “South”?

23. Compare Europe to South America

24. Europe dominated the Mercator image. Can you guess which land mass is larger? Europe or South America?

25. In reality Europe is smaller.

26. South America is almost double the size of Europe. The size distortions of the Mercator contribute to some very misleading ideas about how the world “looks.”

27. Here’s another example…

28. Which is bigger… Alaska or Mexico?

29. Alaska vs Mexico

30. Alaska looks a lot bigger, but…

31. Compare Alaska to Mexico

32. Who could imagine that Mexico is actually bigger?

33. Another example: Greenland vs. China

34. Greenland vs China

35. Looks are really deceiving here. China is over four times as large.

36. Compare Greenland to China

37. The distortions of size on the Mercator are commonly referred to as the "Greenland Problem." Can you guess why?

38. Here’s a view from space. Which is larger: Greenland or the Saudi Arabian Peninsula?

39. Find Greenland

40. Find the Saudi Arabian Peninsula

41. Compare the sizes of Greenland and the Saudi Peninsula

42. You wouldn't know Africa was larger than the former Soviet Union unless you looked at a round globe, or at a flat map projection that shows true sizes.

43. Compare Africa vs former Soviet Union

44. The truth? Africa is 33% larger!

45. Africa is much larger

46. Compare Scandinavia to India…

47. Scandinavia vs India

48. Is “seeing…believing”? Or can “seeing” be deceiving?

49. Compare Scandinavia to India

50. Developing nations are often smaller and seem to be less important on the Mercator projection.

51. Arno Peters, age 59, 1975

52. In 1974, Dr. Arno Peters introduced a map projection that represented all countries (as well as Ocean areas) at true size and true proportion.

53. Since that time, over 82 million copies of Dr. Peters’ maps have been distributed.

54. What do you think?

55. THE END

56. © 2007, ODT, Inc. Permission granted to use this presentation in schools and nonprofit organizations

58. Supplemental Slides Follow

59. Many teachers use outline maps to teach geography.

60. Peters Outline Map

61. Peters felt it was time to move beyond an image of the world that was characterized by colonial domination.

62. Peters was concerned with world poverty and the inequity between the developed nations and the developing nations.

63. Developed vs developing nations

64. The Brandt Report

65. Peters recognized that maps had hidden messages.

66. He put his own agenda right on his map: Fairness to all people!

67. Notice how the Mercator is color-coded to indicate European nations and their colonial dependencies.

68. Mercator Image © Rand McNally

69. What subliminal message might that communicate?

70. The Peters map colors highlight regional identities, rather than who owned whom.

71. A NEW VIEW OF THE WORLD the teacher’s guide to the Peters Map

72. Another way to represent the world is by making a map based on military spending rather than land area. Here’s what that map would look like.

73. Military Cartogram

74. Optical Illusions are another way the eye can be fooled.

75. Contrary to the illusion created by the background lines A, B, & C are of equal size.

76. Dr. Peters worked on his comprehensive history of the world for over 12 years

77. Dr. Peters work spanned the course of 5,000 years of human history.

78. Synchronoptische Weltgeschichte

79. Dr. Peters believed that his projection is best. He supported this assertion in his book, THE NEW CARTOGRAPHY

80. "The Europe-centered Character of our Geographical View of the World and its Correction“ What do you think?

81. The first Peters Map was printed in German and included a series of images of the earth surrounding it.

82. Peters understood the dilemma that all flat maps introduce distortions of one kind or another.

83. Think of map projections as different points of view. Each one valuable, each one necessarily limiting our view of the whole planet.

84. Other equal area projections

85. In 2001, the Peters Map Was featured on the TV show, The West Wing

86. But Dr. Peters showed the world from a South-on-top point-of-view as early as 1987!

88. South on top is just a different point of view.

89. Why would an oceanographer prefer a Peters Map over a Mercator?

90. Mercator vs Peters Mercator Map Peters Map

91. Here is a picture of ocean temperatures. Red is Warm. Blue is cold.

92. Mercator & Peters Oceanographic Map Mercator Map Peters Map

93. Which of the two maps shows a warmer ocean? Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

94. Both maps are based on the same data and therefore show the same information. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

95. It is always important to understand the projection and its properties when looking at a map.

96. The two maps display identical information but the Peters projection shows it in area-conserving form and therefore shows the true extent of the tropics. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

97. Remember, the region between 30°N and 30°S makes up half of the earth's surface! Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

98. Oceanographers and meteorologists who study the ocean's role in climate variability and climate change have to Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

99. quantify the exchange processes which occur at the interface between ocean and atmosphere. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

100. Obviously, a map which does not represent the various regions of the ocean at their true size is likely to lead to false impressions. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

101. Different projections serve different purposes. The choice of the correct projection for a given task is part of the preparation which goes into the task. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

102. The work of Dr. Matthias Tomczak is based on collaborative research with his professor, Dr. Gunther Krause of Kiel, Germany. Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

103. “Do Marine Scientists have a scientific view of the earth?” from OCEANOGRAPHY Volume 8, No 1, 1995 Courtesy of Dr. Matthias Tomczak

104. A question...

105. Why do you think oceanographers use a map that is centered on Australia?

106. A Pacific-centered Peters Map © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

107. A question...

108. What are the different messages these two different Peters maps send? © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

109. A question...

110. How much of the earth's surface area is covered by water?

111. The Pacific Centered Peters Map is a physical map, indicating the different types of terrain by color coding. © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

112. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

113. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

114. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

115. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

116. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

117. Sample pages from the Peters Atlas of the World © Akademische Verlagsanstalt

118. Peters Atlas Courtesy of Oxford Cartographers and www.ODTmaps.com

119. For further information about the Peters Projection Map contact: In North America: ODT, Inc. 800-736-1293 www.ODTmaps.com ODTstore@ODT.org

120. For further information about the Peters Projection Map contact: Outside North America: Oxford Cartographers www.oxforcarto.com +44 (0) 1865 882884 info@oxforcarto.com Kartographe Huber Dürrstrasse 1 80992 Munich Germany Phone +49 89 - 14 30 30 info@kartographie.de www.kartographie.de or