Compare the relative sizes of Greenland and Australia in the two maps? The true

Question

Compare the relative sizes of Greenland and Australia in the two maps? The true values of the surface areas for these countries are Greenland (2.2 million km^2) and Australia (7.7 million km^2). Does each map demonstrate these true values? Work through the introductory material on the page entitled Celestial Equator, Declination, Right Ascension. Open either the Flat Sky Map Explorer or the Sky Map Explorer. Familiarize yourself with the same set of features (cursor movement, shifting the map, decimal/sexagesimal) that were available on the previous maps. Make sure that you understand what each check box does. Where is the star Polaris located on this map? What are its coordinates?

Explanation / Answer

No, when we compare the area of the two on the map, Greenland is far bigger but it is actually Australia which is 3.5 times Greenland.

This is because Greenland lies near North Pole where longitudes are closer to one another. On maps longitudes are pulled apart to be parallel and so area of the polar region looks larger.

So maps don't reflect true size of continents, distance between longitudes. It is globe which does.

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