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Revision as of 05:01, 25 September 2013 view sourceStrebe (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users8,422 edits Removing “historical” from “map projections”. Corrected descriptions. Removed material that was confusing or that adds little.← Previous edit Revision as of 00:29, 27 September 2013 view source Czixhc (talk | contribs)645 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
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{{About|maps of the Earth}} {{About|maps of the Earth}}
{{refimprove|date=May 2013}} {{refimprove|date=May 2013}}
], 1570]] ], 1689]]
⚫ ] and the ], it is considered to be a low-error map projection<ref>'''', 2007, David M. Goldberg & ] III, 2007, V42 N4.</ref> adopted by the ] for reference maps.]]
], 1689]]
A '''world map''' is a ] of most or all of the surface of the ]. World maps form a distinctive category of maps due to the problem of ]. Maps by necessity distort the presentation of the earth's surface. These distortions reach extremes in a world map. The many ways of projecting the earth reflect diverse technical and æsthetic goals for world maps.<ref name="ACA1988"> A '''world map''' is a ] of most or all of the surface of the ]. World maps form a distinctive category of maps due to the problem of ]. Maps by necessity distort the presentation of the earth's surface. These distortions reach extremes in a world map. The many ways of projecting the earth reflect diverse technical and æsthetic goals for world maps.<ref name="ACA1988">
{{cite book {{cite book
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==Map projections== ==Map projections==
⚫ ], a low-error map projection<ref>'''', 2007, David M. Goldberg & ] III, 2007, V42 N4.</ref> adopted by the ] for reference maps.]]
{{Main|Map projection|List of map projections}} {{Main|Map projection|List of map projections}}


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<gallery widths="175px"> <gallery widths="175px">
Image:World Map flat Mercator.png | ] Image:World Map flat Mercator.png | ]
File:Mollweide projection SW.jpg | ]
Image:Cahill Butterfly Map.jpg | ] Image:Cahill Butterfly Map.jpg | ]
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Waterman_Butterfly_Map_1996.jpg | ] --> <!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Waterman_Butterfly_Map_1996.jpg | ] -->
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File:Azimuthal equidistant projection SW.jpg|] azimuthal equidistant projection File:Azimuthal equidistant projection SW.jpg|] azimuthal equidistant projection
Image:Blank-map-world-south-up.png|A ] Image:Blank-map-world-south-up.png|A ]
⚫ Image:BlankMap-World-162E-flat.svg | ]-centric map (more commonly used in ]n countries and ])
</gallery> </gallery>


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Image:Elevation.jpg | ] map Image:Elevation.jpg | ] map
Image:CIA WorldFactBook-Political world.pdf| A simple political map of the world as of 2011 Image:CIA WorldFactBook-Political world.pdf| A simple political map of the world as of 2011
⚫ Image:BlankMap-World-162E-flat.svg | ]-centric map (more commonly used in ]n countries and ])
Image:AYool topography 15min.png | Present day ] ] and ] (]) Image:AYool topography 15min.png | Present day ] ] and ] (])
Image:World map.png | ] map of the world Image:World map.png | ] map of the world
File:World map by skin color for modern populations.jpg| Map representing the effects of human displacement trends in the last centuries.
File:CO2 responsibility 1950-2000.svg | map of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emission by country File:CO2 responsibility 1950-2000.svg | map of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emission by country
File:UN Human Development Report 2008.svg | UN Human Development Index by country as of 2008 File:UN Human Development Report 2008.svg | UN Human Development Index by country as of 2008
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File:Claes Janszoon Visscher - Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica Ac Hydrographica Tabula Autore'.jpg | 1652 world map by Visscher File:Claes Janszoon Visscher - Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis Geographica Ac Hydrographica Tabula Autore'.jpg | 1652 world map by Visscher
File:Radkarte MKL1888.png|Ideal reconstruction of medieval world maps (from ''Meyers Konversationslexikon'', 1895) (Asia shown on the right) File:Radkarte MKL1888.png|Ideal reconstruction of medieval world maps (from ''Meyers Konversationslexikon'', 1895) (Asia shown on the right)
File:Anaximander world map-it.svg|Hypothetical reconstruction of the world map of ] (610–546 BC) File:Anaximander world map-it.svg|Hypothetical reconstruction of the world map of
Image:OrteliusWorldMap1570.jpg|An historical map of the world by ], 1570
] (610–546 BC)
</gallery> </gallery>
</center> </center>

Revision as of 00:29, 27 September 2013

This article is about maps of the Earth. For other uses, see World map (disambiguation).
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An historical map of the world by Gerard van Schagen, 1689
A world map exemplifying the use of the Winkel tripel projection and the Mollweide projection, it is considered to be a low-error map projection adopted by the National Geographic Society for reference maps.

A world map is a map of most or all of the surface of the Earth. World maps form a distinctive category of maps due to the problem of projection. Maps by necessity distort the presentation of the earth's surface. These distortions reach extremes in a world map. The many ways of projecting the earth reflect diverse technical and æsthetic goals for world maps.

World maps are also distinct for the global knowledge required to construct them. A meaningful map of the world could not be constructed before the European Renaissance because less than half of the earth's coastlines, let alone its interior regions, were known to any culture. New knowledge of the earth's surface has been accumulating ever since and continues to this day.

Maps of the world generally focus either on political features or on physical features. Political maps emphasize territorial boundaries and human settlement. Physical maps show geographic features such as mountains, soil type or land use. Geological maps show not only the surface, but characteristics of the underlying rock, fault lines, and subsurface structures. Choropleth maps use color hue and intensity to contrast differences between regions, such as demographic or economic statistics.

Map projections

Main articles: Map projection and List of map projections

A map is made using a map projection, which is any method of representing a globe on a plane. All projections distort distances and directions, and each projection distributes those distortions differently. Perhaps the most well known projection is the Mercator Projection, originally designed as a nautical chart.

Thematic maps

Further information: Thematic map

A thematic map shows geographic information about one or a few focused subjects. These maps "can portray physical, social, political, cultural, economic, sociological, agricultural, or any other aspects of a city, state, region, nation, or continent".

Historical maps

Further information: Early world maps

Early world maps cover depictions of the world from the Iron Age to the Age of Discovery and the emergence of modern geography during the early modern period. Old maps provide much information about what was known in times past, as well as the philosophy and cultural basis of the map, which were often much different from modern cartography. Maps are one means by which scientists distribute their ideas and pass them on to future generations.

  • World map according to Posidonius (150–130 BC), drawn in 1628. World map according to Posidonius (150–130 BC), drawn in 1628.
  • Tabula Rogeriana world map by Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. Note that north is to the bottom Tabula Rogeriana world map by Muhammad al-Idrisi in 1154. Note that north is to the bottom
  • 1652 world map by Visscher 1652 world map by Visscher
  • Ideal reconstruction of medieval world maps (from Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1895) (Asia shown on the right) Ideal reconstruction of medieval world maps (from Meyers Konversationslexikon, 1895) (Asia shown on the right)
  • Hypothetical reconstruction of the world map of Hypothetical reconstruction of the world map of
  • An historical map of the world by Ortelius, 1570 An historical map of the world by Ortelius, 1570

See also

References

  1. Large-Scale Distortions in Map Projections, 2007, David M. Goldberg & J. Richard Gott III, 2007, V42 N4.
  2. American Cartographic Association's Committee on Map Projections (1988). Choosing a World Map. Falls Church: American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. pp. 1–2.
  3. Thematic Maps Map Collection & Cartographic Information Services Unit. University Library, University of Washington. Accessed 27 Dec 2009.
  4. http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm

Further reading

External links

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