Upsidedown Maps

[StickMan]

I'm a geography minor and one of the many great things I have learn or that was pointed out to me is that the way the world map is normally shown is only shown because Europeans made the world map we look at today. As such I sugest every one look at an Upside down Map such as the ones found here.

http://www.flourish.org/upsidedownmap/

This is just a cool view of the world when you are use to the one we are normally shown. But we can also learn some things from it. Like for example there probably should be 8 Oceans as the body of water under Australia (well over in these maps) is large enough to be an Ocean.

[Lucky]

No, we know the current version is correct because it puts Canada at the top. :smalltongue:

[bosssmiley]

Idiot mapmakers fail to acknowledge the primacy and centrality of the Greenwich Meridian for navigational and time-keeping purposes. The Astronomer Royal has dispatched chrono-ninja teams to teach their surviving kin the error of their ways. :smallannoyed:

Mercator SMASH!!! :smallbiggrin:

[Attilargh]

Listen, you can't go turning the Maiden of Finland upside-down like that! it's improper!

[Nocte]

I read of this, some time ago, one of this map was made by some guy that doesn't wanted to be on the bottom of the world. An Australian, I think.

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Anyone have a map with East-West matched up to the Y-axis?

[Cyrano]

No, we know the current version is correct because it puts Canada at the top. :smalltongue:

There are good sides to either view. Normal puts Canada above everyone else, upside-down puts Canada closest to Hell. They both fit.
Stop yelling at me! I'M Canadian! And Hell is cool! I mean hot! I mean shush!

[Hell Puppi]

I don't like to look at those maps. Not because they're not cool....but because then I get to thinking about the world...then the universe...then it gets way to metaphysical.

[Ego Slayer]

I suddenly feel a little dizzy.


No, we know the current version is correct because it puts Canada at the top. :smalltongue:
Heheh. It's true!
<Insert other comment here which would probably break a board rule> :smallamused:

[blakyoshi7]

No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. North should be at the top because otherwise Italy doesn't look like a boot! :smallbiggrin:

Also, America looks really weird upside-down.

[Mr. Moon]

No, we know the current version is correct because it puts Canada at the top. :smalltongue:


Quoted for pure, unadaulterated, truth. ~_^

Serriously, that's... vaugly interesting. And by vaugly I mean managed to hold my intrest for a good three seconds.

[StickMan]

No, no, no. You've got it all wrong. North should be at the top because otherwise Italy doesn't look like a boot! :smallbiggrin:

Also, America looks really weird upside-down.

First of all which way is north is objective, its just a word attached to a magnetic pull.

Second thats the point.

To the Canadians face it you guys are just living in the attic of the United states. So in all actuality you live in the unused space at the top of the best house in the world.:smallbiggrin:

[Nomrom]

First of all which way is north is objective, its just a word attached to a magnetic pull.

Second thats the point.

To the Canadians face it you guys are just living in the attic of the United states. So in all actuality you live in the unused space at the top of the best house in the world.:smallbiggrin:

I've been telling them that for awhile now, but they just won't listen to the truth.

I think the best part of that article was learning about the Wizard of New Zealand. That guy is pretty awesome.

[Serpentine]

Like for example there probably should be 8 Oceans as the body of water under Australia (well over in these maps) is large enough to be an Ocean.
Um... it is one. Or at least a "sea", if there's any difference. Its name eludes me for the moment...
It's not just the direction of maps that show bias, though. Look closely at a lot of them, and you'll see that the equator is skewed, giving more room to the northern hemisphere than the southern.
By the way, New Internationalist publish maps like these, and also ones where the countries are sized according to population and things like that.

[StickMan]

Um... it is one. Or at least a "sea", if there's any difference. Its name eludes me for the moment...
It's not just the direction of maps that show bias, though. Look closely at a lot of them, and you'll see that the equator is skewed, giving more room to the northern hemisphere than the southern.
By the way, New Internationalist publish maps like these, and also ones where the countries are sized according to population and things like that.

Well actually one major issue with maps is that because of how land masses are projected on to maps things at the equator are the correct size and things near the top or bottom of the map are stretched out of proportion. Best example of this is Greenland. I once asked one of my professors why it was not a Continent because it looks almost as big as Europe and then he explained this to me and showed me a picture on a Dymaxion map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map) and it is a very tiny island. I told him its still not that much smaller than Europe and he said well thats because Europe should not be a continent as its part of Asia:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:.

[Serpentine]

"The Mercator Map
The most widely used map in the U.S. today is the Mercator projection map. Mercator maps often appear in businesses, in libraries and in classrooms where geography is taught. This popularity is surprising, given the fact that the Mercator projection was first constructed in 1569, primarily for use by navigators.
The Mercator projection’s undeniable value to navigators stems from the fact that a straight line drawn by the traveler will have a constant compass bearing. This is accomplished, however, by spacing the parallels (lines of latitude, measuring North and South) in specifically increased amounts from the Equator to the poles, which results in an enlarging exaggeration factor of 33 past 80? latitude.

The Problem
When the Mercator projection was created, the custom among map-makers was to place the map-maker’s country—in this case, Germany—at the center of the map. The Equator is placed 2/3 of the way down the map rather than halfway down. This arrangement depicts Europe as being larger than South America. In reality, South America is almost twice the size of Europe. Alaska is appears to be three times larger than Mexico, although Mexico actually is larger than Alaska. On a Mercator map, Greenland looks larger than China, even though China actually is four times larger than Greenland."
~ http://www.directionsmag.com/features.php?feature_id=8 (bold mine, as that was my main point)

I think the specifically political bias I read about in the New Internationalist magazine, and, well, that's what they're all about...

According to my atlas (which, by the way, has Australia at the centre. And Indonesia and Russia...), it appears I was mistaken about there being an ocean around Antarctica. I think I must've been thinking of the Arctic Ocean. There's several small seas around it, though.

[StickMan]

All of are map issues will be sovled one day when when we open up are text books, poof a hologram globe of the world pops out.

[Azrael]

Like for example there probably should be 8 Oceans as the body of water under Australia (well over in these maps) is large enough to be an Ocean.

You mean either the Indian Ocean or the Southern Ocean -- depending on how far south you go?

Either way, I'm not really sure how you'd get to 8.

(Arctic at the btm, Atlantic to the left, Pacific at center, Indian up right of center and Southern at the top.)

[Keymort]

Well, it's how things should be...
AUSTRALIA PWNS ALL THOSE OTHER COUNTRIES! lol
This is becoming a -"my country is better than yours" thread.
Lol.
Gotta love it. I think we should just have a discworld like planet, and then things would be much simpler... Except for Mrs Cake.

[Gygaxphobia]

"The Mercator Map
...

The Problem
When the Mercator projection was created, the custom among map-makers was to place the map-maker’s country—in this case, Germany—at the center of the map. The Equator is placed 2/3 of the way down the map rather than halfway down. This arrangement depicts Europe as being larger than South America. In reality, South America is almost twice the size of Europe. Alaska is appears to be three times larger than Mexico, although Mexico actually is larger than Alaska. On a Mercator map, Greenland looks larger than China, even though China actually is four times larger than Greenland."
~ http://www.directionsmag.com/features.php?feature_id=8 (bold mine, as that was my main point)

This is misleading. The equatorial arrangement is NOT part of the Mercator projection and is NOT the reason for the distortion. There IS a distortion but that is because (as mentioned above the quoted paragraph) the importance was placed on relative distances, not relative areas.
There are better maps than the Dymaxion, which does not show relative proximity very well.

[Serpentine]

There IS a distortion but that is because (as mentioned above the quoted paragraph) the importance was placed on relative distances, not relative areas.
This still doesn't explain why the southern hemisphere is all squished down. If I were as paranoid as New Internationalist, I'd mention that a good portion of the world's poorest countries are in the southern hemisphere, but I'm not, so I won't :smallwink:

[nagora]

I once asked one of my professors why it was not a Continent because it looks almost as big as Europe and then he explained this to me and showed me a picture on a Dymaxion map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_map) and it is a very tiny island. I told him its still not that much smaller than Europe and he said well thats because Europe should not be a continent as its part of Asia:smallbiggrin: :smallbiggrin:.

"Very tiny"?! I wonder what you would call Manhattan.

Plus: Asia is clearly part of Europe, which is a landmass off the coast of Britain.:smallwink:

[Gygaxphobia]

This still doesn't explain why the southern hemisphere is all squished down.

Because the vast majority of land mass, population and trade routes are in the Northern Hemispehere, thus is was thought to require more detail than the large expanse of ocean in the South.

I recommend the Peters map by the way, it's a great comparison.


Plus: Asia is clearly part of Europe, which is a landmass off the coast of Britain.:smallwink:

I guess we should use continental shelves to determine continents. In which case (according the the Kremlin...) the Arctic is part of Russia... ;)

[Miklus]

You can just avoid this mess by using a globe like this guy. The globe on the right is geographicly correct, but the left shows how we danes view the world :smallsmile:

http://i13.tinypic.com/4v8pnb5.gif

[Gygaxphobia]

I know a few Danes.
According to them, the rest of the world should either have "Conquered" or "To Be Plundered" written on it ;)

[StickMan]

You mean either the Indian Ocean or the Southern Ocean -- depending on how far south you go?

Either way, I'm not really sure how you'd get to 8.

(Arctic at the btm, Atlantic to the left, Pacific at center, Indian up right of center and Southern at the top.)

You see not what happened was, stickman is clearly mad so he was thinking about the whole 7 seas song for some odd reason when he was posting this and some how he got 7 oceans.

The area of the Southern ocean does not show up on most maps and until 2000 was not even an official ocean even though it was a term used by sailors for years. It still does not show up on many maps of the world and is seen by most as the ends of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.

[bosssmiley]

Anyone have a map with East-West matched up to the Y-axis?

I abjure your crazy talk, but the good people of Hereford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereford_Mappa_Mundi) don't. :smallwink:


I know a few Danes.
According to them, the rest of the world should either have "Conquered" or "To Be Plundered" written on it ;)

The above, bacon, Lego, Hans Christian Anderson and his fishgirl fetish: all reasons to love the Danes. Also they have the friendliest football fans in the world (http://www.roliganklubben.dk/uk/de-ti-bud/). :smallbiggrin:

[RAGE KING!]

There are good sides to either view. Normal puts Canada above everyone else, upside-down puts Canada closest to Hell. They both fit.
Stop yelling at me! I'M Canadian! And Hell is cool! I mean hot! I mean shush!

but hell isnt at the bottom of the map...its down, into the world...not down the map.

[Cyrano]

but hell isnt at the bottom of the map...its down, into the world...not down the map.

It's...it's...It's a metaphysical construct! It's whereever I want it to be!
*sobs*

[Ego Slayer]

To the Canadians face it you guys are just living in the attic of the United states. So in all actuality you live in the unused space at the top of the best house in the world.:smallbiggrin:
Ohh, man, there was some joke about how going up to Canada was like going up into your attic 'cos it's like "whoa, there's all this cool stuff that you'd forgotten was up there."

Something like that. :smalltongue:

[StickMan]

My family comes from Canada actually so yea cool stuff up there. Actually I've been doing research and it seems I'm a member of the largest family in Canada. Go Canada.


I'm also German, Irish, and some other stuff....

[Serpentine]

I know a Canadian who's Native American, English, French, Swedish and Chinese. Are you all a bunch of mongrels, or what?

[StickMan]

I know a Canadian who's Native American, English, French, Swedish and Chinese. Are you all a bunch of mongrels, or what?

Well first of all I prefer the term mutt. Second Most people in the US are I don't know about Canada. I mean I don't know were most of my family comes from to be honest, one of the sad things about immigration here was people wanted to become American and did not pass down family history from the old country. I'm trying to reclaim some of mine now actualy.