Week 5: Map Projections

Pre-Lab:
How many degrees does the equator span?  
360.799 decimal degrees
How many degrees does the northern- and southern-most graticules span?
180.356 decimal degrees
These degrees represent the total distance in decimal degrees around latitudinally and longitudinally.
Distance from Washington to Kabul: 146.287 decimal degrees 
In the Mercator Projection: 
Alaska is not bigger than Brazil. 
Alaska is not bigger than Greenland.
Distance from Washington to Kabul: 16,289.05 km

        
          Map projections are essential when moving from the 3-D real world to 2-D projections of that world. When moving from 3-D to 2-D attributes of the real world are distorted,  and certain map projections can preserve certain metric properties, but not all. It would be impossible for one map to maintain all the same attributes and metric properties as the real world. 
         Map projections are significant because they are necessary to make maps, and it is essential to understand which map projections are being used while reading a map to fully understand it. In order to move from the real world and into the conceptual world, map projections are needed to relate the real world, a sphere, into a flat surface. And while reading a map, one should understand the effects certain map projections can have It would be illogical to read a map with a conformal projection when trying to determine the size of an area, or the distance between areas. In conformal maps above, there is a 3,000 mile difference between the distances measured between Washington and Kabul of each map, meaning that these maps, which maintain bearing and not local distance, would not be accurate it measuring distance.
          The perils of map projections is that all the attributes and metric properties of the real world are not maintained. This is an inevitable fact of map projections. Geographical information is lost in the transition from real world to maps. As with the Equidistant Conic projection, equidistant parallels are maintained, while area, size, and shape are compromised. Thus it becomes important for mapmakers to carefully choose the proper projection for their map. And it is equally important for the map reader to understand the effects of map projections.
          Map projections, though distorting real world data, are necessary to create maps. Map projections allow the three dimensional world to be scaled down into a flat, manageable surface. It also allows us to manipulate data. A skilled cartographer would also be able to cleverly manipulate a map and its readers. Maps, and their necessary map projections, offer cartographers a powerful tool. Though distorted maps are not ideal, they are what we are capable of making. Besides, to remedy a distorted map, multiple maps can be used, each preserving different properties.