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They don't have to be. You have seen maps of the world on one page where everything is in its place, within the technical limits of any map projection. But when they are insets, it is probably because the cartographer wants the map sections to be large enough on the page to give adequate details. If the scale of the map makes the 'lower forty eight' states large enough for reasonable detail, then the page would have to be much too big to include Hawaii which is far off the western coast, or Alaska which is a huge area spreading to the north and west. It is a matter of balancing scale against the desired level of detail.

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11y ago
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Q: Why do Hawaii and Alaska have to be inset maps?
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