Читать книгу Geography For Dummies - Jerry T. Mitchell - Страница 71

The maps in both Figure 4-2 and 4-3 are lying. But the map in Figure 4-3 provides the most accurate — that is, most globe-like — perspective regarding the shortest route between New York and Singapore. I’d really love to be able to prove that to you right here on the page of this book, but therein lies the problem — literally. This page is flat. To find out which route is shortest, you need a map that really looks like the world itself. That is, you need a globe.

Because a globe doesn’t come with this book, you have to come to grips with the four ways in which maps can lie: distance, direction, shape, and area.

Most flat maps lie with respect to at least two characteristics, and some lie in all four aspects. In modest detail, here is the lowdown on exactly how and why these fibs occur.