UNIT 1 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY 1 LEARN AND TAKE ACTION!

Name Course Date

EXTENSION WORKSHEET
The world is not always as it seems. This is particularly true when it comes to
representing the countries of the Earth on a world map. The map that we often see in
our textbooks is the Mercator projection map. This map was created in 1596 to help
sailors navigate the world. However, this map exaggerates the sizes and distances near
the poles. Many cartographers, engineers and artists have tried to solve this problem by
creating more proportional maps, but it is difficult to portray the spherical world on a 2-
dimensional flat map.

Two computer developers have created an interactive map, thetruesize.com, that

allows us to understand the distortion of the Mercator map. Type in the name of a
country and drag it closer to the Equator to discover its true size. Place two countries
next to each other to compare their sizes. Place your mouse over a country to see its
area in km2. Use this tool to answer the questions below.

1. Is the true size of North America bigger or smaller than Africa?

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2. Is the true size of Greenland larger or smaller than Australia?

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3. How big is Iceland? How big is Spain? How much bigger is Spain than Iceland?

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4. Which countries appear bigger than they really are on the Mercator projection map,
the ones closer to the Equator or the ones closer to the poles?

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5. Write a paragraph, in your own words, about why the Mercator projection map
does not accurately represent the sizes of the countries.

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Downloadable and photocopiable © Ediciones Bilingües, S.L.

6. Describe an experiment that you can do to help people to understand why it is
difficult to project a sphere onto a flat surface.

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7. We often associate size with power. Do you think the Mercator map presents a
favourable or unfavourable image of the wealthy countries to the north? Explain
your answer.

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8. Using the interactive map to help you, design a general knowledge game to play
with your friends and family about world geography. Write the rules of your game
and the questions below.

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You can also watch and read https://www.sciencealert.com/world-map-authagraph-

origami-globe-hajime-narukawa and https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/what-
is-wrong-with-all-our-maps-mercator-maps.html) to find out more about the topic.

Downloadable and photocopiable © Ediciones Bilingües, S.L.