There are two maps that we have been learning about. The Mercator Map and the Peters Map. The more realistic map is the Peters Map. It shows the countries more proportionate to their actual size. In order for the flat map to accurately show the round Earth it distorts the shapes of the continents. The person who created the map was Arno Peters. He presented it to people and told them that it was superior compared to the Mercator Map. The Peters Map increases the size of each continent the closer they are to the equator. The continents that are closer to the equator on the Mercator map are smaller so they seem less important compared to the other countries. Next is the Mercator Map. It was created and presented by Gerardus Mercator before the Peters Map was invented. It became the standard map for navigation because it showed how to get places in straight lines. Sailors liked this map because it was easy to use a compass with it to get where they were going with the least amount of difficulty. The Mercator Map makes land far away from the equator larger which is because the scale on it is constant. Land like Greenland and Antartica seem larger than they actually are. Mercator map's also have topography and the Peters Map doesn't.
The only map I've ever seen is the Mercator Map. I didn't even know that there were other maps that showed the world in different ways. I think that the Peters World Map shows the world in a more real way but I like the Mercator Map better. It could be because it's the only map I've ever known but I think it's great. I don't really look at maps that often anyway but when I do its always a Mercator Map. Different maps show different things so I think it all depends on what you're looking for at the moment.
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