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There's probably more than a few of us on HN from smaller countries who would also find the size of the US mind-boggling.
by smcgaw 6y ago
There's probably more than a few of us on HN from smaller countries who would also find the size of the US mind-boggling.
- kaybe 6y agoEspecially us from higher latitudes whose worldview is influenced by the Mercator projection.
- arethuza 6y agoA useful link that helps with that problem: https://thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTYxNDU5OTQ.MzgwMzc5Mg*MzU0NzE2NTA(MjAyMDQ3OA~!CONTIGUOUS_US*MTAwMjQwNzU.MjUwMjM1MTc(MTc1)MA~!IN*NTI2NDA1MQ.Nzg2MzQyMQ)MQ~!CN*OTkyMTY5Nw.NzMxNDcwNQ(MjI1)Mg https://thetruesize.com/#?borders=1~!MTYxNDU5OTQ.MzgwMzc5Mg*...
- hombre_fatal 6y agoGreat site. Never realized Greenland fits inside the USA. Dragging a country to/from the poles really establishes how ridiculous the projection is.
- thaumasiotes 6y ago> Dragging a country to/from the poles really establishes how ridiculous the projection is. I mean, the pole is an infinitesimal point that _any_ rectangular projection must expand to the size of the equator.
- arethuza 6y agoI don't think it's fair to say it is ridiculous - it has pros and cons - with the distortion of areas towards the poles definitely being one of the latter https://connectusfund.org/13-major-pros-and-cons-of-mercator-projection https://connectusfund.org/13-major-pros-and-cons-of-mercator...