Nation & World News
Nation & World News

VIDEO: Here’s what is wrong about the most popular map of the world

LITTLETON, CO - MAY 10: Pins in a map mark the origins of immigrants who have received assistance at the Immigrant Resources Center on May 10, 2011 in Littleton, Colorado. The center has more than 400 community volunteers assisting the immigrant community south of Denver. The majority of immigrants visiting the center are from Latin America, although increasingly more Asians have sought assisance ahead of their U.S. citizenship exam. In a speech that U.S. President Barack Obama gave on the U.S.-Mexico border he provoked the Republican party to take on a comprehensive immigration overhaul. The program, established six-years ago, is intended to help with the integration of immigrants into the community. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Credit: John Moore

Credit: John Moore

LITTLETON, CO - MAY 10: Pins in a map mark the origins of immigrants who have received assistance at the Immigrant Resources Center on May 10, 2011 in Littleton, Colorado. The center has more than 400 community volunteers assisting the immigrant community south of Denver. The majority of immigrants visiting the center are from Latin America, although increasingly more Asians have sought assisance ahead of their U.S. citizenship exam. In a speech that U.S. President Barack Obama gave on the U.S.-Mexico border he provoked the Republican party to take on a comprehensive immigration overhaul. The program, established six-years ago, is intended to help with the integration of immigrants into the community. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
March 23, 2017

If you want an accurate view of the world, think twice before reaching for the Mercator projection. Its the most popular map of the world, but it’s also one of the most deceptive ones.

»RELATED: The new Google Maps tracker will ruin your lies about being late

Although its widely used in classrooms across the globe and even by Google, the sizes of many of the states and countries are a bit off-base.

For example, Greenland appears to be the same size as Africa when it’s barely the size of Algeria, and Alaska seems to be bigger than Brazil when it’s only one-fifth of the country.

So why the confusion? To fit everything on a flat map, the spherical earth has to be distorted. That’s what causes the misconstruction.

There are a few other projections that hit the mark a little better. Check out the Business Insider video below to learn about them.

More Stories

The Latest

Duke running back Nate Sheppard (20) runs for a touchdown in the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game against Virginia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Credit: AP

Can Alabama make it into the College Football Playoff with 3 losses? Can Duke make it with 5?

30m ago

Soon no Pearl Harbor survivors will be alive. People turn to other ways to learn about the bombing

34m ago

Duke beats No. 16 Virginia 27-20 in overtime for first outright ACC championship since 1962

38m ago

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS

OPINION

The 2020 election interference case is gone, but it can’t be forgotten

The decision by a Georgia prosecutor not to pursue the massive Trump election interference case leaves some bad deeds unpunished.

Officials to install opioid reversal kits in Georgia’s public schools

The kits will contain Narcan, which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and restore breathing.

Odom-led comeback nets Conference USA championship for Kennesaw State

The Owls continue to be one of the most intriguing stories of the season, going from a two-win season to a conference title and beating the defending league champions.