Petersprojeksjonen

Petersprojeksjonen, also known as the Peters projection, is a cylindrical map projection presented by Arno Peters in 1974. It is designed to accurately represent the relative sizes of countries, unlike many other map projections that distort the size of landmasses to fit a two-dimensional surface. The Peters projection is notable for its equal-area property, meaning that the area of each country on the map is proportional to its actual area on Earth.

The projection is based on a simple cylindrical equal-area projection, which is a type of map projection that preserves the area of landmasses. This is achieved by dividing the globe into a series of vertical slices, each of which is then flattened into a rectangle. The resulting map is a rectangle with the equator as its center line.

The Peters projection is often criticized for distorting the shape of countries, particularly in the northern hemisphere, where landmasses are stretched vertically. This distortion can make it difficult to accurately represent the geographical features of a country. Despite this, the Peters projection is widely used in educational settings to teach students about the relative sizes of countries and the importance of accurate map representation.

In recent years, the Peters projection has gained renewed attention as a symbol of global justice and equality. Proponents of the projection argue that it accurately represents the world as it is, rather than as it has been historically represented in other map projections. However, critics of the Peters projection argue that it is not a practical tool for navigation or geographical analysis, and that its use in educational settings can lead to a distorted understanding of the world.