https://xkcd.com/977/

“It’s [the Mercator projection] the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”

No matter how we cut it though, all 2D projections will have some kind of distortion. They opted to preserve area, while the Mercator preserves angles. Arguably it is less important today to preserve angles, as we have automatic navigation systems. There are some alternatives that also preserve the area: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/The-Equal-Earth-compared-to-similar-equal-area-pseudocylindrical-projections.png

We should encourage the use of more globes to represent world maps.

Like, seriously. Almost all maps are viewed on a computer screen, all computers easily have the ability to display a sphere and rotate it

The simple fact is no map projection will be perfect or do anyone "justice".

You're flattening out a sphere to a flat rectangle. A lot of compromises have to be made. So go with the one that functions best for navigation.

I think equal area maps make a lot of sense, but the one I’ve seen promoted in the past as “fair” is the Peters Projection which is quite frankly trash.

It was designed to preserve angles at the equator, and as a consequence all the shapes at higher latitudes are badly squished in the vertical.

If there has to be distortion to preserve areas, it should squish in both dimensions and try to optimize shapes around the middle latitudes.

I really like the Dymaxion projection.

Gerrymappering.

This is truly the concern of our time.

Me when someone calls my pp smol

Like completely, or just as a default?

It's uniquely the best option if you like using compass bearings.

I'm going to be honest, this just looks utterly useless for any country that isn't south africa, and ESPECIALLY useless for any country in the northern hemisphere.

Like, yes, sure, you've made all the country's areas roughly equal, but also every single country that isn't south africa is a distorted, warped mess that looks nothing like its actual shape.

Look at parts of europe- every country is a COMPLETELY USELESS shape. Three quarters of them have been turned into diagonal lines. How the fuck is that useful? Europe is the worst area in that regard, but by no means the only one.

It makes it literally useless as a map.

I always that that countries made their own maps and always centered themselves on it.

Reminds me of the West Wing episode with the Petersen (?) projection map. Although I seem to remember that map format was under copyright and would have required a fee for every use. An intended consequence?

It's only taken 20 years for this to be real

Looking at the correct map makes it clear that our Risk Continent Troop values need updated now.

Ok come up with something that's better and just as practical.

I personally think that Eckert IV is a little more visually pleasing while otherwise achieving all the same benefits as Equal Earth, but both are good

16th century? Huh I would have expected a far more accurate version would have been made and accepted long ago.

Especially since during all the centuries since then accurate navigation was needed, even around Afrika, and not make journeys last far longer by keeping an incorrect map.

That's why I use the dymaxian projection

This is like that one American Dallas county commissioner, William Price, getting offended it's called Black Hole.

The notion that projections perpetuate some racial agenda is exactly the pseudo-intellectual victimhood that takes away oxygen in the room for actual issues to be addressed.

why are we changing maps ?

If they're really concerned with how big they look on a map, they should advocate for the Madagascator projection.

Well, modifications to Mercator world maps are not a bad idea, people genuinely don't understand the size differentness (both ways - equatorial ppl how smol northern & southern territories are & the other way around, eg Europeans how big most of Africa is in comparison).

The bad part of normalising anther type of sphere projection for this purpose is that it almost certainly wouldn't follow just one simple rule like Mercator's. And with that exact predictability actually diminished in a way.

Eg, we could try to keep countries as close to the same-ish size & in return shrink (or have gaps in) oceans. Or keep smaller gaps between counties/some squares. Or have several different projections merged into one global map. Etc.
All of it is always arbitrary.
The true answer is only education (not necessarily, but preferability in early school days).

wiki/Waterman_butterfly_projection:

I vote for the Waterman Butterfly Projection

Mercator is a good projection for navigation for a variety of reasons. It should never have been used for geology classes in schools, but I think what originally happened is schools would just buy a nautical chart and put it on the wall.

Even when I was at school long before that episode of West Wing, my classroom had a Robinson Projection map, so the whole controversy seems like something that was ginned up possibly decades after Mercator was no longer in use except where it's needed.

That being said Google used a broken version of mercator on their maps for many years..

The flat earth society will hear about this around the world.