Why all world maps are wrong
Video Overview & Insights
Making accurate world maps is mathematically impossible.
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Maps are flat representations of our spherical planet. Johnny Harris cut open a plastic globe to understand just what it takes to turn a sphere into something flat.
His struggle to make a flat map out of the plastic globe is indicative of a challenge mapmakers have faced for centuries: It is mathematically impossible to translate the surface of a sphere onto a plane without some form of distortion.
This video is awesome!!!!
To solve this problem, mathematicians and cartographers have developed a huge library of representations of the globe, each distorting a certain attribute and preserving others.
For instance, the Mercator projection preserves the shape of countries while distorting the size, especially near the north and south pole.
Celestial navigation.
For a more accurate view of land area look at the Gall-Peters projection, which preserves area while distorting shape.
In the end, there's not "right" map projection. Each comes with trade-offs, and cartographers make projection decisions based on the particular tasks at hand. But if you are interested in seeing an accurate depiction of the planet, it's best to stick with a globe.
very good videoo
Interact with projections: http://metrocosm.com/compare-map-projections.html
Mercator tool: http://thetruesize.com/
NICE
Mike Bostock Map Transitions: http://bl.ocks.org/mbostock/3711652
Mercator Puzzle: http://hive.sewanee.edu/ldale/maps/10/06-LOCAL.html
And is the map put upside down? Should South Africa be at the top of the map and Europe at the bottom?
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More User Perspectives
Most maps aint wrong, they have a scale to measure the stretches.
@diegomoraes88What’s the background music after 3:44 ?
@coco37sHow about Gleason Map, why you didnt try to include it on your video?
@Jeje-xo4pkInteresting
@navirangi7122I learned this in grade school in the 70s
@chaffsalvoThe AuthaGraph Is The World's Most Accurate Map
@bigvee401It’s fascinating how 1569 changed our perspective forever.
We critique the distortion now, but for a 16th-century sailor, the Mercator Projection was a survival tool.
You used to work at Vox ?
@gabijamame8350This is an example of AI used correctly - Vox has trained a model on Johnny Harris videos, interviews and so on, and got the subject matters, tonal inflection and idiosyncrasies down pat… Then they ran it through a Blender-rendered and de-aged ‘Johnny Harris-ish’ avatar, which was then used to deliver the narrative within the AI ‘world’…. A world rendered through everyone’s favourite celebrity-faking video-gen AI app, Sora Pro… with a bit of Kling for the super realistic vibe 😊 Back date the content a decade or so, auto Gen date delimited comments, and you got yourselves an evergreen video back on the algorithm suggestions circuit - completely built with AI 😊 Well done, team 👍🏾
@Aladdinsane64navigating using only a compass? didn't learn much at school did you, they also used a sextant for varification on the midday sun and a precise watch.
@Guitarman-w4sSomeone needs to show this to Trump!
@tillytoad804Now I know why Trump wants Canada and Greenland so bad. Wait till he sees Russia.
@bipl8989Then Why the if is Google earth or google map is like this as well. They can easily fix this issue with 3D viewer they already have.
@jaisalmeria"Projection of Western colonialism" = Map
@timbuktudoExcept vox wants us to think it's because of racism
@getty187But why do we still use it eventhough it is wrong
@TonyCuong-u2jWho else has to watch this for school?
@Nickiminajisqueen-rap0:09
I love life!
looks up
MAMA?!
I don’t want to poke fun at the Mercator projection. It’s wrong to belittle the handicapped.
@johnspooner1403I don’t want to poke fun at the Mercator projection. It’s wrong to belittle the handicapped.
@johnspooner1403Trump wants Greenland just for security. I want USA just because of Trump
@abdulwahabalam-ib4lzOh, Greenland looks so big I must have it it
@brianmuir9059lo mires por dónde lo mires, españa sale bien representada siempre. 😎🇪🇸
@cabo-mayorThe orange knife cutting through Greenland...
@elmadasJust buy a globe
@petercatchpole8941Shame Trump didn't earlier saw this video
@johnmr568Great video. Thanks. I have been wanting to get a globe for years, but keep getting disappointed with what I found online.
@BeefRocknmoreWhy not simply use a globe? Problem solved.
@Supernaut20002026… does Trump know that Greenland isn’t actually that big? just saying..
@MisterRobbie👍
@tomhighway1952This is why Trumps obsessed with Greenland?
@tinamardt7734Weil es keine Kugel i s t
@hermannschell8598For the love of peace; can someone change all the maps in America to proper represent the actual size? Ideally before the stable genious starts WW3
@saethmanSomebody should show this video to Trump. He only likes Greenland cause it’s big on his map.
@branded45This is 4 th grade education….
They don’t teach that anymore?
We need a video?
I guess we do.😢
No globes were harmed in making this video.
Plot twist: one globe was harmed.
My, Not this one again. Lol. Is it really to late to fix ?
@ericswain4177Because lies need to be hidden, that's why they cheat.
@jovalakiMaps are racist
@TC2020-w8uAgree. 😮
@PeriParrot2025Why is there no miniature Earth model that accurately represents its true shape and proportions?? or is there??
@TEREKAMChannel