PS101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Mercator Projection
Document Summary
A map simplifies a select number of aspects of reality so we can make sense and comprehend reality better, faster or more thoroughly. Generalization means that we can simplify what is in reality to simplify it for the purpose of making a map more efficient. Maps are fiction, they are created with a particular budget, understanding, information, biases, agendas . Maps are repositories of trust - we can"t judge whether they are true or not, so we just accept them. Traditionally maps are very important in finding your way. As people settled down, they were good to claim land and set boundaries. Claim territory - create maps and rename places under their own possession. Recently maps have been so cheap to make, they have many more purposes. The peters projection represents the true size of continents and countries however the shape is not realistic. The mercator projection shows an incorrect size of continent.
