Map Distortion and Social Injustice?
So what e » -in maps tell us about the world? Maps can illustrate how critical infrastructure
selectivel parceled out from neighborhood to neighborhood. They can represi nt political bia by altering the shapes, sizes, and colors of regions, or by misleading an audience with altered false information.
One of the main factors to consider is map distortion. All maps have distortion because it is impossible to transform the three-dimensional Earth onto a flat surface without causing error:
There are four primary types of distortion: area, shape, distance, and direction. Each of theprojections found in Figure 2.1 (shown above) creates distortion on the globe. The job of the cartogral her is to decide what distortion is appropriate according to the purpo: e of the map.
1. Of the three projections shown in Figure 2.1 (shown above), which would be best for
making a map along a:
a. Great circle, say the equator? Explain your response in one sentence.
b. Small circle, say the tropic of cancer? Explain your response in one sentence.
C Map of a continent, say Antarctica? Explain your response in one sentence.