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The Earth is a sphere. Maps are flat. Therefore when you try and make a representation of a sphere (the Earth) as a flat map, you introduce some distortions. The process of making a flat map from a sphere is called projection and there are a number of different projections that you can use, each with different distortions (e.g. an equal area projection, a Mercator projection etc). Therefore you need a variety of maps (projections) depending on what you want to use the map for.
A map is a diagram illustrating and therefore communicating some aspect of reality. Therefore a geographer will chose the map form that is most appropriate for the subject to be communicated. For instance a map of the world could show countries in proportion to their true area. Or the size of the countries could be scaled in proportion to their population. Also when making a flat map of a sphere (the globe of the Earth) it is impossible to "flatten" the surface without causing tears or distortions. All flat maps are therefore projections which contain distortions. Geographers will choose a projection which does not distort the aspect they are trying to show.
Earth is three-dimensional, but maps are two-dimensional.
It is impossible to create an accurate world map for a few reasons. One reason is because a globe can represent the planet accurately, but it is not large enough to represent all of it's features. As, you know the maps we use in school, the flat, paper maps are not accurate at all, I mean look at how they display Antarctica!
A map projection is a way to represent the curved surface of the Earth on the flat surface of a map.
A flat map is two dimensional. A Globe is three dimensional. The Earth is three dimensional. If you try and express a three dimensional object using a two dimensional surface, you introduce distortions. A flat map has distortions, a globe is a truer representation.
because there has to be some kind of distortion of earths spherical shape
Try taking the peel of an orange and laying it out flat so that all the edges meet up - you can't! Well the earth is also a ball and when you try and represent the curved surface on a flat piece of paper it would behave like the orange peel. To make a flat map you have to make a projection of the earths round surface (there are a number of ways of doing this) and this introduces a distortion.
There always distortions on a map because a map is flat and a globe is round.
Since the earth is 3 dimensional and is represented on a flat surface, there will be a few distortions
projection
Because a map is flat and a globe is round
The Earth is a sphere. Maps are flat. Therefore when you try and make a representation of a sphere (the Earth) as a flat map, you introduce some distortions. The process of making a flat map from a sphere is called projection and there are a number of different projections that you can use, each with different distortions (e.g. an equal area projection, a Mercator projection etc). Therefore you need a variety of maps (projections) depending on what you want to use the map for.
A map is a diagram illustrating and therefore communicating some aspect of reality. Therefore a geographer will chose the map form that is most appropriate for the subject to be communicated. For instance a map of the world could show countries in proportion to their true area. Or the size of the countries could be scaled in proportion to their population. Also when making a flat map of a sphere (the globe of the Earth) it is impossible to "flatten" the surface without causing tears or distortions. All flat maps are therefore projections which contain distortions. Geographers will choose a projection which does not distort the aspect they are trying to show.
Cartographers an represent the spherical Earth on flat paper by making a projection, which is like casting shadows from the spherical world onto a flat piece of paper.
Earth is three-dimensional, but maps are two-dimensional.
It is impossible to create an accurate world map for a few reasons. One reason is because a globe can represent the planet accurately, but it is not large enough to represent all of it's features. As, you know the maps we use in school, the flat, paper maps are not accurate at all, I mean look at how they display Antarctica!