Map Types/ Projections (copy) (copy)

Mercator Map Projection

A map projection that fairly accurately shows shape and direction, but distorts distance and size of land masses.

Robinson Map Projection

A compromise map projection showing the poles as lines rather than points and more accurately portraying high latitude lands and water to land ratio.

Gall-Peters Map Projection

A rectangular, equal-area map projection that shows the correct sizes of countries, but distorts their shape.

Dymaxion/Fuller Map Projection

A map intended for representations of the entire globe, with unbroken land masses when flat, heavily interrupted to preserve shapes and sizes.

Goode Homolosine Map Projection

Minimizes distortion for the entire world, showing continents proportionally sized to each other, but distorting distances, directions, and angles.

AuthaGraph Map Projection

Considered the most accurate projection for showing relative areas of landmasses and oceans with very little distortion of shapes.

Thematic Map

A map that shows the spatial distribution of one or more specific data themes for selected geographic areas.

General Reference Map

A map that focuses on the location and names of features, unlike thematic maps which focus on spatial variability.

Choropleth Map

A thematic map using shading to show a pattern of a variable, where darker shading indicates higher concentrations.

Isoline Map

A map with lines connecting data points of the same value.

Dot Distribution (Density) Map

A thematic map using point symbols to visualize the geographic distribution of related phenomena.

Cartogram Map

Maps that distort the shape of geographic regions to show a specific data variable.

Graduated / Proportional Symbol Map

A thematic map with symbols that change in size according to the value of the attribute they represent.