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> Out of the millions of decorative world maps on walls, kids with maps to learn the world, world maps on the news, maps used in data visualization charts etc.,
by zokier 3y ago
> Out of the millions of decorative world maps on walls, kids with maps to learn the world, world maps on the news, maps used in data visualization charts etc., non of those are using the map for "navigation" yet they still use Mercator projection simply because "that's the right shape of the world" regardless of what "right" means
I question what percentage of those maps in reality are actually Mercator? I feel this is one of those strawman memes that mercator is everywhere, when in practice it feels relatively rare to actually encounter it.
- m2fkxy 3y agoAgree. Most of the general-public wall maps I see out there use equal-area projs.
- zztop44 3y agoReally? In my entire lifetime I’ve seen maybe five? Including the one hanging up in my childhood home. Even Google Maps uses Mercator by default.
- cityofdelusion 3y agoI wonder how much location bias affects this. I also grew up with basically only seeing equal-area projections and globes -- that's just what my school district used. It was weird seeing all the online memes about Mercator when I grew up never seeing it, heh.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- rusticpenn 3y agoI had mostly seen this projection, until i grew up. https://www.nationsonline.org/maps/Political-World-Map-3360.jpg https://www.nationsonline.org/maps/Political-World-Map-3360....
- DirkH 3y agoWhat country do you live in? If I visit there I'll look out for them because I see equal-area projs like never. Even the decorative one in my room right now clearly has Greenland look more than half the size of all of Africa.
- watwut 3y agoThe kiddy maps my kids had were using mercator projection. And I am pretty solid that it was because that is "the right shape of the world". The map was not meant for navigation, it was meant to display funny pictures about countries and maybe teach the kid countries exists if kid bothers. It was made by an artist after all, not by cartographer.