Do USanian global maps...

[Davef]

They always object, but you make my point very well, any printed map is a bit arbitrary in it's representation

Trimming a country off completely to save paper !

[Mr Larrington]

Of course it does, if you start at Greenwich, but only go to +/- 160 degrees for example, you can use a smaller piece of paper at the same scale.  Shirley its more the case that its printed on a standard paper size and scaled to fit in a way thats easily readable, then adjust white space or lost ocean?

No-one will mind if you put Chukotka and Alaska in separate little boxes at 1/10th the sale of the rest of the map, just like no-one* complains when Orkney and Shetland are transplanted to just off Aberdeen.

* FSVO “no-one”, obv

[Kim]

They always object, but you make my point very well, any printed map is a bit arbitrary in it's representation

If they're arbitrary, how come they always manage to get the bit where you are right on the edge, eh?   

[ElyDave]

They always object, but you make my point very well, any printed map is a bit arbitrary in it's representation

If they're arbitrary, how come they always manage to get the bit where you are right on the edge, eh?   

Because they're watching you Kim ! 

[Pingu]

Of course it does, if you start at Greenwich, but only go to +/- 160 degrees for example, you can use a smaller piece of paper at the same scale.  Shirley its more the case that its printed on a standard paper size and scaled to fit in a way thats easily readable, then adjust white space or lost ocean?

No-one will mind if you put Chukotka and Alaska in separate little boxes at 1/10th the sale of the rest of the map, just like no-one* complains when Orkney and Shetland are transplanted to just off Aberdeen.

* FSVO “no-one”, obv

[Feanor]

Of course it does, if you start at Greenwich, but only go to +/- 160 degrees for example, you can use a smaller piece of paper at the same scale.  Shirley its more the case that its printed on a standard paper size and scaled to fit in a way thats easily readable, then adjust white space or lost ocean?

OK, sorry, I've not been keeping up.

Perhaps I'm not understanding here.
What range of longitudes do you think we could exclude from a cylindrical projection to save on wasted space?

[Moleman76]

Greenwich Meridian in the middle is pretty common for world maps over here.

Vertically, often common to use a projection that emphasizes the northern hemisphere at the expense of the southern.  Helps to make NZ disappear, FWIW.

[ElyDave]

Of course it does, if you start at Greenwich, but only go to +/- 160 degrees for example, you can use a smaller piece of paper at the same scale.  Shirley its more the case that its printed on a standard paper size and scaled to fit in a way thats easily readable, then adjust white space or lost ocean?

OK, sorry, I've not been keeping up.

Perhaps I'm not understanding here.
What range of longitudes do you think we could exclude from a cylindrical projection to save on wasted space?

Just because you could do it, doesn't mean I advocate that you should.  I've learnt a lot from Jurassic Park 

[Davef]

Greenwich Meridian in the middle is pretty common for world maps over here.

Vertically, often common to use a projection that emphasizes the northern hemisphere at the expense of the southern.  Helps to make NZ disappear, FWIW.

I don’t think that is anything to do with the projection, they simply trim a couple of inches of white off the bottom. I.e. 45 degrees north or south are distorted equally in Mercator.

[Giraffe]

I've not managed to get my round a bit in an old article where the writer said that he was at 48 deg. East of latitude. Not a common projection, I guess.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It used to be common, and in some places still might be, to put east at the top of a map. Hence 'orientation'. The point, from a European Christian point of view, was to show Jerusalem in pride of place, but I've heard it's also sometimes done with Japanese maps.

[Moleman76]

I don’t think that is anything to do with the projection

There is a particular map I have in mind, that might be out for view in August.  It definitely smallifies the southern hemisphere.
I'll take note of the projection mentioned on it and see if I can revive this thread in 6 months.

[Davef]

I don’t think that is anything to do with the projection

There is a particular map I have in mind, that might be out for view in August.  It definitely smallifies the southern hemisphere.
I'll take note of the projection mentioned on it and see if I can revive this thread in 6 months.

There are plenty of weird and wonderful projections - the French like the Bertin. Most rectangular world maps are Mercator based and the equator is not in the middle because they crop off Antarctica. There are also plenty of projections that are aimed at a particular place - OSGB36 used for O/S maps is designed to reduce distortion specifically in the U.K.  I find it odd that Mercator is still used for world maps as its prime advantage is that it is conformal with bearings preserved, but these days nobody is using a world map to navigate. I personally like the Times atlas of the world projection.

[road-runner]

Thunderbirds had USanian maps in the mid '60s.'

[Kim]

That's just to throw you off the true location of Tracey Island.

[Pingu]

Tracey Island must be in the east side of the Indian Ocean then.

[Mr Larrington]

(Wanders off to that Internet, that they have now, to look up half-truths about Tracy Island)

[rogerzilla]

That's just to throw you off the true location of Tracey Island.

It's Tracy Island.  Tracey Island is a terrifying place populated by warrior women in leather jackets and white stilettos.  They capture passing seamen, toss them in a cave and feed them to the Kraken.

[Jurek]

Seamen or semen?

[rogerzilla]

Seamen or semen?

Why do you think they're tossed in a cave?

[sam]

A different kind of projection:



There are so many of these. I once had a go myself, drilling down to Iowa.

[FifeingEejit]

It used to be common, and in some places still might be, to put east at the top of a map. Hence 'orientation'. The point, from a European Christian point of view, was to show Jerusalem in pride of place, but I've heard it's also sometimes done with Japanese maps.

One from my memory of Dad's rants.

Churches are meant to be designed such that the congregation look east, because Jerusalem is east...
Problem is when it's a new church somewhere in North-East Scotland a Congregation looking East is very much looking out across Russia followed by the neebs in Canada before  the backs of their own heids.

Jerusulem is very much more south east.

I can't remember which church it was, probably Inverness or Aberdeen as there was a few built in such places early 2000s; think the congergation were looking West though, so the neebs in Nova Soctia followed by Ruskies.

[Davef]

It used to be common, and in some places still might be, to put east at the top of a map. Hence 'orientation'. The point, from a European Christian point of view, was to show Jerusalem in pride of place, but I've heard it's also sometimes done with Japanese maps.

One from my memory of Dad's rants.

Churches are meant to be designed such that the congregation look east, because Jerusalem is east...
Problem is when it's a new church somewhere in North-East Scotland a Congregation looking East is very much looking out across Russia followed by the neebs in Canada before  the backs of their own heids.

Jerusulem is very much more south east.

I can't remember which church it was, probably Inverness or Aberdeen as there was a few built in such places early 2000s; think the congergation were looking West though, so the neebs in Nova Soctia followed by Ruskies.

I think you are mixing religions. Muslims pray towards Mecca.

Christian churches are oriented towards the east nothing to do with Jerusalem. “Orientation” literally means pointing to the east (orient). It is possibly a legacy from sun worship, as is our yuletide celebration.

[ElyDave]

Mosques are not pointing east, as Dave F notes, there is always an orientation towards Mecca, and I seem to remember being able to find out which direction that should be from wherever you are, on a great circle route.

[rogerzilla]

Best map of North America I saw had the United States of Canada (which included the whole west coast and the east coast as far south as DC), with the rest being Jesusland.