Peters' projection: history, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages

The Peters projection , also known as the Gall-Peters projection, is a rectangular map of the planet earth whose proportions of territory are not altered by the spherical shape of planet Earth. It was created in the mid-nineteenth century by James Gall and published independently for the masses in the 1970's by Arno Peters.

Its rectangular shape and the presence of parallel gangs make the apparent map a little more disproportionate at the poles and at the equator, but the sizes of land masses and countries are correct and comparable to one another.

Peters Screening

Although the map does not correctly represent the globe, it is used as a means of study in research that requires that all countries have a real size. In addition, the Peters projection is recognized as the terrestrial cartography icon of the modern concept of equality, by correctly denoting the size of all countries.

The map that is commonly used is commonly known as the Mercator projection ; although this cares more for the visual harmony of the map, it represents the countries that are closer to the terrestrial poles bigger than they really are.

The majority of schools and educational centers worldwide work with this model and in many cases it is the only mapped version of the planet that the general public usually knows.

History

In 1855, the British clergyman James Gall first described this projection of Earth at a convention for scientific advances. However, his announcement was overlooked and he was not given much attention.

At that time, Gall described the new map as an"orthographic projection of the planet"and published his innovation in the Scottish Geography Magazine .

The map is commonly known as the Peters projection because until 1973 the map did not gain relevance, when the German Arno Peters published the same project and cataloged it as a new invention, without giving credit to Gall.

However, it is said that Peters was at least 5 years old with the idea of ​​the project and that he probably did not have knowledge of the previous realization of it by James Gall.

Previously, the standard projection that was used was that of Mercator. The use of this cartographic projection was adopted by the general public erroneously after its creation in the sixteenth century, because the map does not correctly represent the size of the continental masses, but rather served as a guide for navigators of the time.

The Mercator projection, however, remains the most used map of the Earth in the world.

Characteristics of the p Gall-Peters projection

The Gall-Peters projection has a series of particular characteristics that have caused an increase in its popularity since its re-publication in 1973.

Equal areas

Both oceans and landmasses are proportionally reflected in the projection. This means that the size of each continent and country can be comparable to one another.

You can see how South America has more land extension than Europe, unlike what is reflected in the Mercator projection.

Equal axes

All the lines that cross the map are line up perfectly, both in the north and in the south. This makes the geographical points are true to reality and correctly represent the cardinal points of the planet.

Accurate positions

In addition to the precision of the north-south axes, the horizontal lines are true to the real location of each grid in the real world. This allows to calculate the exact location of each country with respect to the equator.

Map projections and their importance

Map projections are often more popular than portable earth globes because of their ease of adaptation to a wide variety of bars, brackets and other measuring tools.

When drawing lines and calculating coordinates, projection maps are usually the first option selected by cartographers.

There is a large number of projection models and each one has its own particular benefits. Not all are governed by the correct proportions and terrestrial extensions usually have different measures depending on where the axes are traced.

The Mercator projection and the Peters projection are the most used worldwide; Mercator's, in fact, has been in use for more than 450 years.

Advantages and disadvantages

The characteristics of the Peters projection could be called mostly positive. Compared to the Mercator projection, the representation of Peters gives a different and more accurate perception of the world.

In fact, one of Peters' arguments for popularizing his projection was that the Mercator map favored North America and Europe more. This leaves the developing countries located in South America and Africa in the background.

The misperception of the size of the areas closest to the poles are arguments widely used when criticizing the popularity of Mercator cartography.

In turn, it serves as a positive argument for the use of Peters' work. This is the primary difference between both models.

Advantage

• Peters' projection gives the exact location of each country in the world . The extension of its area is also scaled to the real, so it is ideal to compare one country with another.
• The correct location of axes and areas serves as a guide in the development of coordinates in both maps, but the geographic precision favors the work of Peters.
• The map of Peters evades giving territorial favoritism to some specific area. As countries adhere to their actual size, the problem of Eurocentrism present in the Mercator version.

Disadvantages

• The shape of the map It is not pleasant for the eyes , especially in comparison to the Mercator model. The north of the American continent and Europe are perceived quite flat.
• Although it is considered one of the most adequate representations of the Earth, the Peters model it has not taken hold in popular culture and its use can generate confusion in the masses.

References

1. Peters Projection Map, Oxford Cartographers' Data, (n.d.). Taken from oxfordcartographers.com
2. The most popular map of the world is highly misleading, Christina Sterbenz, December 12, 2013. Taken from businessinsider.com
3. Cartography's defining moment, Jeremy Crampton, 1994. Taken from utpjournals.press
4. Galls-Peters Projection, (n.d.), November 22, 2017. Taken from wikipedia.org
5. Mercator Projection, (n.d), January 25, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
6. Orthographic Projection in Cartohraphy, (n.d), June 25, 2017. Taken from wikipedia.org
7. Map Projection, (n.d), January 24, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org