World Maps, Atlases and Globes

Maps represent the surface of the Earth, or part of it, on a flat plane, showing the positions of countries, cities, coastlines, rivers and roads. A globe shows the Earth as it really is, a sphere, and so preserves the true shapes and relative sizes of the continents, but it cannot show much detail and is awkward to carry. A flat world map is far more convenient, and an atlas gathers many maps of different regions and themes into a single collection.

Turning the curved surface of the Earth into a flat picture cannot be done without some distortion, and the method used to do so is called a map projection. Every projection stretches or compresses the surface in some way, so a map may keep shapes accurate while exaggerating areas, or preserve areas while distorting shapes. A familiar example greatly enlarges regions near the poles, which is why some maps make high-latitude lands appear far larger than they are in reality. Position on the Earth is given by latitude and longitude, the grid of lines used to locate any place precisely.

Many maps today are interactive and online. Street maps show the detailed layout of towns and cities down to individual roads, and route planners use this data to calculate a path between two places and estimate the distance and travel time. Such tools combine maps with location data to help with navigation, while traditional atlases and globes remain valuable for understanding geography as a whole.

Frequently asked questions

Why do flat maps distort the Earth?

The Earth is a sphere, and a curved surface cannot be flattened without stretching or compressing it. The method used, called a projection, always trades off accuracy in shape, area, distance or direction.

What is the difference between a globe and a map?

A globe is a sphere and preserves the true shapes and sizes of the continents, while a flat map is more convenient and detailed but introduces distortion.

How does a route planner work?

It uses detailed road map data to calculate a path between two places and estimate the distance and likely travel time.