Wholesale Globes

Are the countries on world maps the correct size and scale?

Public Comments

1. More or less. Most maps will be accurate. If you're concerned greatly about it, just use a GPS instead.
2. yes.
3. No, for some mathematical reasons a globe is always more accurate than any map or atlas.
4. It depends on the type of projection was used to create the map. The Mercator Projection for example, in projecting from the sphere of the earth to an encompassing cylinder, which is unrolled to give you the map, stretches the countries near the north and south poles
5. If they are just flat maps with no gaps in them, then no. Since the earth is a sphere (more or less), it is not easy to accurately transfer that data to a flat surface. Globes are more accurate, as are some other types of maps.
6. it will depend on the projection being used. Some are much better than others. The best is a globe, rather than a flat map. one map projection that has been "bad" with size and scale is Mercator projection, because of the distortion of size/scale near the poles. here are a couple good basic looks at map projections and their differences http://www.quadibloc.com/maps/mapint.htm http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0031-map-projection-types.php
7. If you mean their relative sizes compared to each other, then no. The countries nearer to the equator effectively get shrunken by the effects of trying to depict an essentially round object onto a flat piece of paper. Those furthest from the equator get exaggerated. Try making a flat drawing of the surface of a ball or orange to get some idea as to why.