Читать книгу Geography For Dummies - Jerry T. Mitchell - Страница 83

It’s certainly true that geography seeks to provide accurate information about Earth. It’s also true that flat maps are inaccurate and therefore counterproductive to the pursuit of truth — at least in a limited sense. But the four disadvantages of globes are so serious that geographers prefer dispensing with honesty (globes) and using flat maps even though they lie. Indeed, those disadvantages of globes may be recast as advantages of flat maps:

 Unlimited field of view: You can show as much or as little of Earth as you want on a flat map.

 Low cost: Flat maps cost much less than globes. In fact, a good-sized atlas containing hundreds of maps may cost less than a single globe.

 Accommodates detail: Want to show a small area in great detail? Not a problem on a flat map.

 Efficient data storage: You can fold up a flat map and put it in your pocket. Or you can put the equivalent of a hundred globes in a single atlas and carry it in your hand or stick it in your backpack. Or you can search online via your smart phone for a map of about just any place you want. That’s better than trying to carry 100 globes, right?

The bottom line is that it’s okay if flat maps lie, as long as you know you are being lied to and understand the nature of the lie.