The gall peters projection is a rectangular map projection that maps all areas such that they have the correct sizes relative to each other. Arno peters began promoting his projection 44 years ago, and the peters map has been making the rounds in certain circles ever since then. Why map historians are annoyed with boston public schools copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket the peters projection, featuring accurate sizes and stretchedout shapes. Although the projection procedure inevitably introduces systematic spatial distortions, particular types of distortion can be minimized to suit the geographic scope and intended use of the map data.
Peters projection is also an equal area cylindrical projection with the standard parallels 45 ns usgs, 2010 figure 1. The map of the world in the 20th century article by. While the peters projection map is superior in its portrayal of proportions and sizes, its importance goes far beyond questions of cartographic accuracy it challenges our view of the world. Peters projection maps page 2 many ways to see the world. Mar 23, 2017 mercator projection maps will not be removed but all new maps purchased will be the peters projection, rose said. Learn more about the peters map video in this 4minute clip from the west wing.
Since the mass of the earth is not uniform at all points, and the direction of gravity changes, the. While the peters projection map is superior in its portrayal of proportions and sizes, its importance goes far beyond questions of cartographic accuracy. Permission is granted to copy, distribute andor modify this document under the terms of the gnu free documentation license, version 1. The caption beneath the map accuses the mercator projection of intentionally enlarging northern areas where white people live and shrinking continents such as africa to diminish their importance. As the only totally correct representation of the earth is a globe, cartographers have to distort the sphere in order to print it on flat paper. The peters projection world map new internationalist. This projection is equivalent, that is to say, it preserves the proportion between the areas of the different zones of the earth. Some say its about the northern and southern hemisphere, the first world states usa, europe, asia in the north wanted to appear more important and big than the. This accurate, colourcoded map shows all areas according to their actual size, with the northsouth lines running vertically and the eastwest lines running parallel. Since the globe is a sphere and a map is flat, some distortion is inevitable, but the peters projection map works to present bodies of land as accurately as possible. This is its main difference with the mercator projection, which preserves the angles but not the areas.
Map of the world peters projection the british library. Peters projection definition of peters projection by. Arno peters at a press conference in germany in 1974 it generated a firestorm of debate. The peters map, the work of the german historian arno peters, provides a helpful corrective to the distortions of traditional maps. Geotiff is a much better solution because it includes the datum and projection, but world files are with us to stay. Since its introduction, the peters map has attracted worldwide press coverage and has garnered more attention than any other map in history. The peters projection world map is an equal area projection. The shape of the earth and the geodetic datum concept are covered on pages 46. If you compare it to the rand mcnally map youll see some interesting differences.
The peters projection is a true representation both of country size and of the northsouth and eastwest directions. Jan 01, 2009 len guelke s groundbreaking chicagocentered azimuthal equal area projection was also included. The equal area peters map has attracted more press coverage, both praise and criticism, than any other map in history. The peters projection is up on the wall of the socanth office for a reason. His major aim in developing this projection was to create a map on which the size of countries were accurately represented unlike on the mercator projection. This map is a 2007 edition and does not include updates like south sudan.
It shows countries to scale and without the western. This white paper is based on the results of a survey of projection mapping professionals. All projections of a sphere on a plane necessarily distort the surface in some way and to some extent. Sure it is, but the most accurate 2 dimensional map of our beautiful planet earth is the peters projection. Now for the first time, odt is offering our clients, customers, and the general public a free version of the peters projection world map. The geoid is defined as the surface of the earths gravity field, which is approximately the same as mean sea level. Created by german historian arno peters and introduced to the world in 1974, the peters projection map has been adopted for use by the united nations. Why map historians are annoyed with boston public schools. The 2006 edition of the peters map also included web references, brighter colors, and upgraded paper stock.
World political editable pdf map 01 in gallpeters projection. Page 79 discuss map scale and the basics of coordinate systems. Weve had many requests for the 11 x 17 placemat size peters map with upto date. It looks at the state of the market, and analyses where and how it is growing.
Odt is in transition with the business being passed to new owners in 2020. The text boxes to the bottom and right of the map do a good job of explaining the reasoning behind the map, and how map designs influence, and are influenced by, cultural bias. Peters projection synonyms, peters projection pronunciation, peters projection translation, english dictionary definition of peters projection. The modern topographic map was also created to the scale 1. The news coverage see the grauniads is the usual straw man argument about the mercator and the false dichotomy between it and the peters, as. When this map was first introduced by historian and cartographer dr. In romania, over time many cartographic projections were. Robinson in a pamphlet put out by the american cartographic association in 1986. Printable pdf world political map, in gallpeters projection full editable, adobe pdf, full vector, scalable, editable text format names, 72 mb zip all countries and disputed teritories with flags ans squares, map for design, printing, arts, projects, presentations, for architects, designers and builders, business, logistics, education. Printable world political map 2017, extra detailed in peters projection full editable, adobe pdf, full vector, scalable, editable text format names, 76 mb zip all countries and disputed teritories with flags ans squares, map for design, printing, arts, projects, presentations, for architects, designers and builders, business, logistics, education. Apr 22, 2017 whether a map is accurate depends on what you use it for. Jun 17, 20 peters invested galls map with a new argument by representing it as a polemic response to an ideology of mapping that privileged europe and the united states by pointing to how mercators model of global projection was often favored because it had so strongly privileged the size of specific regions of the world where it had been devised. The gallpeters projection is a rectangular map projection that maps all areas such that they. A projection showing accurate areas is called an equalarea map.
Mercator map enthusiasts defend the ease of navigation of their map. Whether a map is accurate depends on what you use it for. The projection is a particular example of the cylindrical equalarea projection with latitudes 45 north and south as the. This requires a systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of locations from the surface of the globe into locations on a plane. The british librarys map curator tom harper details the evolution of the map of the world in the 20th century, from the navy league map of 1901 to a digital world view a century later. News of boston public schools decision to go with the peters projection has gone viral over the past week, and my teeth have not stopped itching.
In an article concerning the value of the peters projection map, the map has been accused by a student of eric gutsetein, an eighth grade math teacher, of being some sort of propaganda with false information. The distortion of country shape inevitable in any transfer from a globe to a flat surface has been spread as evenly as possible on the peters map. The decision, he said, was made internally and not put to public consultation. Pdf journey to the end of the world map how edges of world. Media in category maps of the world with cylindrical projection the following 95 files are in this category, out of 95 total. Galls map projection is a so called equal area cylindrical projection. The first englishversion of the map was published in 1983, and it continues to have. The peters projection named after arno peters, also called the gallpeters projection, is a cartographic projection that was first described in 1855 by james gall. Printable world political map, in gallpeters projection full editable, adobe pdf, full vector, scalable, editable text format names, 72 mb zip. World political map 01 extra detailed in peters projection. This projection is very similar to the projection created by prof.
Gallpeters projection wikimedia commons in a development that just might make academic cartographers pull out their remaining hair in frustration, bostons public schools began using the peters projection in social studies classes last week. The text boxes dont explain, however, how the peters projection itself is not free from cultural chauvanism, and i consider this an oversight. Peters invested galls map with a new argument by representing it as a polemic response to an ideology of mapping that privileged europe and the united states by pointing to how mercators model of global projection was often favored because it had so strongly privileged the size of specific regions of the world where it had been devised. The name gallpeters projection seems to have been used first by arthur h. Back to the wonderful, impractical world of swarthmore.
Spheres have several properties that cannot be translated into maps with equal accuracy. Dec 27, 2012 back to the wonderful, impractical world of swarthmore. Arno peters in 1974 and has since become a world best seller. Proponents of the peters projection map claim that their map is an accurate, fair, and unbiased depiction of the world when comparing theirs to the almostdefunct mercator map, which features enlarged depictions of eurocentric countries and continents. The peters projection named after arno peters, also called the gall peters projection, is a cartographic projection that was first described in 1855 by james gall. Peters projection laminated map, same size as above, delivered rolled up in a. My school actually uses this map in our classrooms.
In 1989 and 1990, after some internal debate, seven north. The peters projection world map is one of the most stimulating, and controversial, images of the world. All elements are separated in editable layers clearly labeled. Choose from 500 different sets of map projections chapter 1 flashcards on quizlet. Nov 21, 2019 the peters projection map uses a rectangular coordinate system that shows parallel lines of latitude and longitude. The gall peters projection shown below makes seeing the relative size of places much easier.
It is perpendicular to the direction of gravity pull. A peters projection map is a map which attempts to draw the features of the earth with minimal area distortion. If the imagery has a world file, you should pick the world file rather than the image. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link. Jan 01, 2008 the peters projection world map is an equal area projection. A map projection is a systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of positions on the surface of the earth to a. This week on the television series west wing, part of the plot is going to revolve around a socially conscious group that is seeking to lobby the president about having the peters projection map be used in all school textbooks it is more accurate representation than the standard mercator projection. In reality, the mercator map was never intended to be used as a wall map and by the time peters started complaining about it, the mercator map was well on its way out of fashion anyway. This booklet provides a conceptual introduction to. Shape conformity, what a place would look like from directly above it area size, how much of. Mercator illustrated opposite is one example, have tended to show countries incorrectly in. Mercator rectangle, wgs 84 rectangle, plate carree rectangle robinson and mollweide rounded world maps 30 degree latitude and longitude.
Arno peters at a press conference in germany in 1974 it. Peters projection map, widely used in educational and. The 2001 peters map which odt published had revamped thumbnail panels at the bottom, only two of which were devoted to highlighting the flaws of the mercator projection there were 7 thumbnail panels berating the mercator on arno peters original map and odt softened the claims made on the explanatory panel published down the right side of the map. Peters projection definition and meaning collins english. The true size of our worlds map mercator projection vs. Printable world political map in gallpeters projection. Map projections are introduced on pages 1012, and pages. Apr 16, 2020 this example creates a map using the gall peters projection, rather than the default mercator projection. A district will drop the distorted mercator projection, which places imperialist europe at the center of the world, for the peters, a fairer guide to the globe. Printable pdf world political map, in gall peters projection full editable, adobe pdf, full vector, scalable, editable text format names, 72 mb zip all countries and disputed teritories with flags ans squares, map for design, printing, arts, projects, presentations, for architects, designers and builders, business, logistics, education.
Like any equalarea projection, it achieves this goal by distorting most shapes. Peters projection by new internationalist, 9781869847029, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Boston schools ditch conventional world maps in favor of. Apr 26, 2020 a peters projection map is a map which attempts to draw the features of the earth with minimal area distortion. That means that one square inch anywhere on the map is an equal number of square miles. Peters projection world map political world wall maps. One of the points she brought up was the importance of using the peters projection map in classrooms. It was first introduced by historian and cartographer dr. Arno peters, a german historian and journalist, in 1973. A controversy in the 1980s over the peters map motivated the american cartographic association now cartography and geographic information society to produce a series of booklets including which map is best designed to educate the public about map projections and distortion in maps. This map preserves equal area and retains a rectangular grid of latitude and. The gallpeters projection shown below makes seeing the relative size of places much easier. Gallpeters map projection the power of cartography.
All the countries of the world are represented at true size and true proportion. Notably, this version comes closer to showing that what we percieve as land mass in the south is. In cartography, a map projection is a way to flatten a globes surface into a plane in order to make a map. Esri programs like arcview, and mrsid export tiff files use world files to register images. Mar 29, 2017 why map historians are annoyed with boston public schools copy link facebook twitter reddit flipboard pocket the peters projection, featuring accurate sizes and stretchedout shapes. The text boxes dont explain, however, how the peters projection itself is not free from cultural chauvanism, and i. The gallpeters projection is a rectangular map projection that maps all areas such that they have the correct sizes relative to each other. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled gnu free documentation license. New internationalist peters projection world maps global dimension. Weve had many requests for the 11 x 17 placemat size peters map with uptodate boundaries and the country names left off. Learn map projections chapter 1 with free interactive flashcards. Peters brought the projection to a wider audience beginning in the early 1970s by means of the peters world map. It shows countries to scale and without the western bias so evident in maps of the past where wealth is equated to size and made europe as big as.
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