Understand why some countries look bigger than they really are on maps

Representing the Earth’s curved surface in flat structures has been a challenge since before the understanding of the real dimensions of our planet.

The first steps of cartography, the science that addresses the representation of spaces on maps, may have emerged in antiquity. Different records account for plates developed by the Sumerians representing the Mesopotamia region, in addition to maps drawn by the Greeks from military expeditions and navigation.

With the expansion of navigation, the use of maps became even more necessary, in order to guarantee the efficiency of large expeditions. However, any attempt at spatial reproduction is subject to distortion. In this process, they are known as cartographic deformations.

But why on some types of maps do certain countries look much larger than they really are?

Cartography experts point out that one of the reasons is the scale. To make correspondences of a territory on a map, reduced scales are used, which leads to loss of information.

Another point that influences the production of maps is the curved surface of the Earth which – contrary to conspiracy theories without scientific foundations, does not fit a plane. Today, there is a consolidated conception that the shape of the Earth is an ellipsoid, considering that it is not a perfect sphere, due to its flattened poles.

Over time, different models of representation on maps were created, as explained by researcher Vinicius Rofatto, professor of the Surveying and Cartographic Engineering course at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU).

“We create models [de representação] because the real, physical surface of the Earth is extremely irregular, complex and dynamic. These models allow us to calculate coordinates, areas and volumes, for example, in an easier way. It’s a matter of approximation. That’s engineering. Generally, when we have a real problem, we develop an approximate problem, because from it we manage to create real solutions”, explains Rofatto, in a statement.

map types

In the transformation of a curved structure to the plane, a kind of deformation occurs so that there are the necessary adjustments to fit the object of study in that proposed form.

“The imperfect solution to this problem, since there is no way we can get rid of deformations, is to develop and use a method that causes the smallest possible distortions. This is the objective of cartographic projections”, says Rofatto.

Some maps are built to preserve the shape but don’t keep the area because of a mathematical problem. In this sense, the use of different types of maps happens according to the specific need. If the objective is to guide navigation, for example, maps that preserve the shape may be the most suitable.

“Imagine the Earth as a small hollow paper ball. If you flatten it on a table, for example, bending and tearing will possibly occur. Therefore, the Earth’s projections will always have deformations, which affect properties, angles, areas and lengths, which are not possible to keep together”, exemplifies the professor.

There are four categories of cartographic projections: conformal, which maintains shape and angle; the equivalent, which preserves the area; the aphylactic, which does not preserve either the area or the angle, but seeks to minimize both; and equidistant, which preserves distance in some but not all directions.

You probably remember this information from geography classes back in school: one of the best-known depictions was created in 1569 and bore the creator’s last name, Gerhard Mercator. It preserves the shape, but not the area, because it was developed thinking about solving the issue of navigation, which was something recurrent and which, for mathematical reasons, became the most accurate for this purpose, becoming popular until the present day.

In this style of map, the European continent and Greenland, for example, appear much larger than reality. The countries closest to the equator are those, in terms of size, best represented in this projection and those closest to the poles are the ones that suffer the most distortions.

The role of Eurocentrism

The idea that the countries of Europe represent the center of the world – culturally and spatially – also contributes to the formulation of distorted maps.

The so-called Eurocentrism is represented cartographically in several ways. Among them is the Mercator projection itself, which favors and increases the real size of countries far from the equator, as is the case of European nations.

Also influencing this context are the coordinates used on maps, which are often based on the Greenwich meridian, which passes through London and divides the Earth into East and West.

(With information from Túlio Daniel, from Portal Comunica UFU)