All map projections are imperfect

They wrestle with the challenge of representing the curvature of the globe on a flat, two-dimensional surface such as a paper map. 

There is always a trade-off to be made: cartographers can preserve size or shape but not both simultaneously everywhere.

Financial Times Jan 21 2026



Is it possible that, as in ‘Risk’ or the Mercator projection, everyone thinks Greenland is bigger and more important than it really is?

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