Nature
PUBLISHED
13
Everything you know is a lie, from elevator buttons to maps of the world. When it comes to the latter, there are plenty of illustrations of our planet’s geography that are huge distortions of the truth, particularly the classic Mercator projection.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.There have been numerous attempts to right this wrong ever since, but a new map by Tokyo-based artist and architect Hajime Narukawa is definitely the best yet.
Named the AuthaGraphic map, this glorious creation is both scientifically accurate and aesthetically appealing. In fact, it has been so well received that it was just awarded Japan’s prestigious Good Design Grand Award.
No matter what form this map takes, from a conventional, flat rectangle shape to a 3D-folded structure – one that can be tessellated without visible seams – the countries and continents remain proportional to each other, including the often neglected Antarctica.
Hajime Narukawa/Jeio University Graduate School of Media and Governance/AuthaGraph Co./Good Design Award
The wonderfully named website Spoon & Tamago notes that “much in the same way that we can traverse the planet without ever coming to an end, the AuthaGraphic world map provides an advanced precise perspective of our planet.”
Fans of Narukawa’s cartography will be happy to know that they can already purchase the map online. Just click here, and it won’t be long before you can hold the (accurately crafted) world in the palm of your hands.
[H/T: Spoon & Tamago]
