GallPetersi

The GallPeters projection is a world map projection that attempts to represent the entire globe in a rectangular format while preserving the relative sizes of landmasses. It was developed by Arno Peters in 1974, though its core principles were based on earlier projections, most notably the rectangular projection created by James Gall in 1855. The projection is often referred to as the Gall-Peters projection or simply the Peters projection.

Unlike the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of continents, particularly near the poles, the Gall-Peters projection aims to maintain accurate area representation. This means that countries and continents appear with their true relative sizes, though this comes at the cost of significant shape distortion. Continents and countries near the equator appear stretched vertically, while those closer to the poles are compressed horizontally.

The Gall-Peters projection is frequently used in educational settings and by organizations advocating for a more equitable representation of the world's geography. Its proponents argue that traditional maps, like the Mercator projection, can inadvertently reinforce a Eurocentric worldview by exaggerating the size of Europe and North America relative to Africa and South America. The projection's rectangular format also makes it easy to compare the areas of different regions. However, critics point out that the extreme shape distortion can make it difficult to accurately assess distances and recognize familiar geographical forms.