The world map is a familiar sight on classroom walls and in atlases, but you might be surprised to learn that it’s not an accurate representation of the Earth. In fact, in terms of country and ...

Every map starts with the same lie: The earth is flat. The globe isn’t a portable, affordable, or even satisfying way to look at the world, so these exaggerations are necessary. However, mapmakers ...

Have you ever tried smashing a ball into a flat rectangle? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Walk into any school classroom and you ...

Check the nearest map. Does Greenland look like it’s close in size to the entire continent of Africa? Does Antarctica seem to sprawl enormously across the south of the world? Does Alaska look as big ...

Think about a map of the world. The image you're picturing will most likely resemble the Mercator projection—a 2D representation of the globe created in the 1500s which most maps you commonly come ...

CNN Election History presents historical election results on maps that represent the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii. CNN uses a Web Mercator map projection in the Election History ...

Because the Earth is roughly spherical, every flat map distorts our planet one way or another. The most popular version is the Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in ...

The map of the world as you know it – the Mercator projection – isn’t totally accurate. And Africa is leading the charge to get rid of it for good. Last week, the African Union, a continental union of ...

CNN Election History presents historical election results on maps that represent the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii. CNN uses a Web Mercator map projection in the Election History ...