Wholesale Globes

Why are the Americas always at the left (west) of world maps and atlases?

Wouldn't a map with America on the right and Africa/Europe on the far left be just as accurate considering the world is spherical?

Public Comments

1. well, since americas are considered the west, its only logical that they are on the west side of the map. i get your question, but its not really something to worry about.
2. The reason is purely historical. The original maps were created by Europeans who put Europe at the center of the maps. There is no particular correct orientation of maps. For example, there is no physical reason why the northern hemisphere should be at the top of the map except by convention.
3. Mainly for 2 reasons: 1) Historical convention. Western civilization maps are made in...western civilizations, i.e. Europe. The Americans were discovered by seamen going WEST, so the "New World" was depicted as being west of Europe. Once map makers adopted this convention, nobody (except the Chinese) saw a need to change. 2) Practicality. The Pacific Ocean is much larger than the Atlantic Ocean, so that it's easier to show the Americas being bunched together with the rest, with a relatively narrow Atlantic Ocean as the divide. These days, wtih quick computerized map generation, it's becoming less of a convention. In the future, for example, many shipping companies may want a map that shows the Arctic ocean more prominently, because that's where there's going to be a great increase in shipping traffic, once the polar ice start disappearing.
4. Not really, having the Americas on the left means you don't have to have the huge expanse of the Pacific Ocean in the middle of the map.
5. It doesn't have a big matter, we can ask same question about why left is called left and why right is right, You could try making up that kind of map, it will be right, but will be inappropriate, people will have to spend time to get used to it.
6. I am certain it runs by time zones ie GMT running through the centre of London.
7. 1. Historical convention - 500 years of it. 2. So the edge of the map doesn't bisect any of the continents.
8. your question is answered by everyone else very well, but its funny you say that, because a lot of maps in Australia have the pacific ocean in the middle.
9. Hahahaha thats such a good question, I never thought about that! If its bothering you just look at it from a globe and turn it so its on the east haha. I guess its just because the original people made it on the west, it makes more sense like that anyways.
10. Well, the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean certainly seems like a logical reason to have the Americas on the left, but I would submit the main reason is human egocentricity. You see, the first map makers were Europeans,and naturally they thought they were the center of the universe, so they put themselves in the middle. It's the same reason maps aren't upside down, since, after all, which hemisphere you designate as "up" is also purely arbitrary -- being on the bottom would put Europe in the "beta dog" position, so the map makers put Europe on top. (Uh, my apologies for this comment, Aussie guys, but making the maps that way wasn't my idea.)