Learning About Maps

Today in class we began talking about maps. We also learned the difference between Mercator and Peters Projection Maps. A Mercator map is a map where the latitude and longitude and equivalent distances away from each other. This makes the map inaccurate and changes the sizes of each content compared to its actual size. Although this is the case, Mercator maps are the more commonly used maps. The Peters Projection Map is the more accurate map. The lines of latitude and longitude are changed to represent the curve of the earth. This map stretches out the continents and portrays them to their actual size. The Peters Projection Map is not as commonly seen or used. We looked at three different maps. Each one was a little bit different in the type of map, coloring, locations shown and more. The first map was strictly of the United States. This map showed roads and major interstates, cities, and separated states by colors. The next map was a world map. The colors sectioned of every country and was a Mercator map. This map only had major marks or locations symbolized. The final map was color coded by continents and was a Peters Projection Map.