The Power of Projections: How Maps Reflect Global Politics and History (Repost)

Why is Europe at the top half of maps and Africa at the bottom? Although we are accustomed to that convention, it is, in fact, a politically-motivated, almost entirely subjective way of depicting a ball spinning in space. Maps do not portray reality, but only interpretations of it. They are made for a purpose, and they incorporate a great amount of subjectivity. In geometric terms, maps are two-dimensional projections of a three-dimensional, spherical Earth.