AP Human Geo (APHuG) LoFi Unit 1: Map Projections

Earth is round but maps are flat

So projections reshape the planet like that

Cartographers choose what distortion appears

When turning the globe to the maps we steer

Mercator stretches land near the poles

Used for navigation across global roles

But area grows far out of scale

Showing the limits in every detail

Every projection bends the view

Some keep shape while some stay true

Area distance direction or form

Tradeoffs happen when the globe transforms

Equal area keeps land size right while shapes must bend

Conformal projections keep shapes to defend

Compromise maps balance the frame

Reducing distortion across the plane

No projection shows Earth perfectly clear

Each has a purpose each has a sphere

So geographers ask before they select

What spatial truth they must protect