MAPS of the world have the impossible task of portraying the Earth—a three-dimensional shape—on a flat sheet of paper. Mapmakers have to choose a projection of the globe that approximates the basic ...

In classrooms, offices, and libraries across the United States, one world map appears again and again: the Mercator projection. Its familiarity makes it feel authoritative, even though it was never ...

For centuries, the Mercator projection has been one of the most recognizable representations of the world. Developed in 1569 during the height of maritime exploration, it was engineered with a ...

In early 2013, James Talmage and Damon Maneice, two computer developers in Detroit, created an interactive map that shows the relative expanse of nations and continents. Partly inspired by the ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. The African Union has endorsed the #CorrectTheMap Campaign, a call for the United Nations and the wider global community to use a ...

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: The African Union has started an effort to oust the ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. World maps distort size and shape by design. Learn why projections matter and how they shape global understanding. (CREDIT: ...

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 ...

Students attending Boston public schools will get a more accurate depiction of the world after the school district rolled out a new standard map of the world that show North America and Europe much ...