Mayes Unit 1:1

Types of Maps and Map
Projections

Unit 1 Section 1 Lesson 2

Objective: Students will examine
different types of maps and map
projections

Key Question:
● Why are all maps wrong?
● Why do geographers use different types

maps to organize space and place?

Map Projection: a two dimensional representation of
a three dimensional object (Earth).

●

Distortion: misrepresentation in shape, area, distance, and/or
direction (error)

●

No map projection is perfect, there will be one or more type of
distortion in every graph.

Mercator Map Projection

●

Mostly used for
navigation

●

Advantages: Best for
showing true direction
and distance between
places

●

Disadvantages: Distortion
of land size closer to the
North and South Poles

Robinson Projection

●

Advantages: Shows
continents truest to size and
shape

●

Disadvantages: North and
South Pole are flatlined.
Areas of land masses are
incorrect.

Goode Homolosine Projection

●

An equal area
projections

●

Advantages: Shows
landforms true to land
area

●

Disadvantages:
distorts/ separates
bodies of water

Azimuthal Map Projection

●Projection of the Earth’s surface, centered at a given point so that longitudinal
lines are straight and latitudinal lines are concentric circles.

○Usually displayed at the poles, but can be taken from any point on the Earth.

●Advantages: scale near the center is true

●Disadvantages: The further from the centralize point the more distortion is
present; the whole world can not be presented without distortion

Gall-Peters Projection

●

Advantage: All countries
are the correct size in
relation to each other

●

Disadvantage: distortion
near north and south poles
(squished) and stretched
near the equator.

Cartogram:a map on which statistical information is
shown. The variable is substituted for land area.

Which of the following terms best
characterizes the image to the
right?
a.

Mercator Projection

b.

Gall-Peters Projection

c.

Azimuthal Projection

d.

Goode Homolosine Projection

Correct Answer: D Goode

Homolosine Projection

List 2 distinct features of a Goode
Homolosine Projection

Correct Answer: Odd Shapes;
bodies of water and some land

areas are split apart.

Part 2: Displaying Data

Reference Maps

:Maps that show the
location of places and
boundaries of countries,
states, towns, etc.

Reference maps show
how to get from one place
to another or where
places are in relation to
each other

Ex. Atlas or Road Map

Thematic Maps

:display data on a
particular topic.

Thematic Maps cover
anything you can collect
data on (i.e population
density, distribution of
religions, agricultural info).

Thematic maps show
what is going on in a
particular place.

Thematic Maps
Choropleth Map

Isoline Map
:maps that use different shades
or colors to represent variations
or trends of phenomena.

This usually happens with
predefined borders.

:map with lines connecting
points of equal value.

Thematic Maps

Flow Maps

Dot Map

:a mix of maps and flow charts
that show movement of data
from one place to another

:map with a collection of dots to
represent phenomena. All of
the dots have the same value.

Measures frequency

*can also be any other shape or symbol