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Because of the map projection used.
A map is flat and the earth is round. To represent the round earth on a flat map means that you have to distort part of it - this is called a projection. There are many varieties of projection that can be used to make a map, each of which involves a different sort of distortion (it is a complex subject).
A common projection (Mercator) makes the lines of longitude equally spaced as are lines of latitude. This distorts the size of areas towards the north and south poles and is most accurate nearer the equator.
The curved sides of a Robinson Projection compensates for this by narrowing the top and bottom and widening the middle, so that relative areas are more closely preserved.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoIn order to lay a picture of the round earth flat, the lines longitude are stretched out at the top and bottom, instead of coming to a point as they would on a globe. An affect of this is an increasing distortion of size the farther from the equator. Not all maps project Greenland as that large, however, the mercator map is the most commonly used because it can be easilly used in for ships or planes to plot a "straight line" course on a flat map instead of a round globe.
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i got important news Greenland is gonna melt in 18 years I'm not lieing I've done some test and well i still tiring to figur how much of planet eath well be lift. i know for sure Antarctica,southern south America and southern Africa will survive. spreed this news now! it will not melt the whole earth
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoAntarctica is the fifth largest continent, covering 10% of the earth's surface.
When you look at flat maps, you'll discover that the map ends essentially at 40 or 50 degrees S. The farthest south extent of the planet is 90 degrees, but because the continent is uninhabited, it is rarely included in flat maps to its full extent.
When you see a white continent spread across the entire bottom of the map, it shows that the continent simply stretches across both sides of the International Date Line, or whatever longitude you'll find on the right and left edges of the map.
Antarctica's relative size is most appropriately shown on world globes.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThe Greenland effect is a result of attempting to represent a 3D sphere on a 2D surface. The distortion is tolerated as it make s it easier to plat distances on the Mercator map.
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A meteorite from mars found in Antarctica in 1996 show is tiny shapes that look like?
They look like bacterias, but no alien DNA was found, so its circumstantial evidence.
Why are most maps distorted?
The size of continents and countries are scaled down, so they get scaled down. If you're looking at cartographic map, the size/scale of each country will depend by that country's population, GDP, etc. as well, on flat maps, the most northern and the most southern parts of a map would be distorted. Greenland and Antarctica on a flat map look HUGE. while in comparison to a globe, it would look much smaller on said globe. This is because a map is usally square, or rectangular, and the countries need to be "stretched" to fill the missing space.
What color represents the ozone hole over Antarctica?
Color assignments on maps of concentrations of any constituent are arbitrary, and provided as a key on the map. There is no "natural" means of providing such a representative color. On the maps provided by the US-NASA, high ozone concentrations are yellow or white, and low concentrations are depected as dark blue, with intermediate values usually in red. So on US-NASA maps, the ozone hole is usually shown as a red circle with a blue center, when it is winter at that pole. See the link below.
Why do geographers use a number grid on maps?
So you can be told a point on a map and know where to look quickly instead of scanning the page! x
What did an ancient map look like?
When maps were first surveyed and drawn, surveyors didn't have the benefit of satellite photographs for land mass, and echo sounders for ocean depths, etc. Every surveying expedition was a laborious and often dangerous occupation. The first maps were more for military use, than the multitude of maps we have nowadays. Maps for leisure, large and small scale maps for specialized needs, town planning, and so on, are very common.
How did Antarctica used to look like?
I am not very sure but I have heard that all the continents were once one big super-continent. So it probably looked liked a big mass of land. Again, I am so not sure about this but this is what I have learned.
What does antarctica look like in the wintertime?
Antarctica looks like Afarica in winter time (so my cousin tells me)****
Why are E and W on sky maps the reverse how they appear on land maps?
They really aren't - it's that on land maps you look "down" to the ground. On sky maps you look "up" to the sky, so they APPEAR reversed. In actuality, they aren't
What are some great ninja map features in halo reach?
Some good maps are horse maps so to get the maps look up horse.
Why does Antarctica appear long and thin on some maps and on a globe?
the Earth is round so Antartica, being located on the southern pole, is more noticeably curbed than the other continents, but a map is flat so, to show all of Antarctica, they stretch it out and flatten it.
Why does NZ have so many storms?
we have so many storms because we are the closest proper country to antarctica and we get all the weather that has come off antarctica. especially in the winter, when antarctica has that big storm. New Zealand where i live is getting all the cold wind and rain. that's all it is, antarctica's leftovers
What continent contain no countries why might that be so?
Antarctica
How do wrestlers look so big?
Steroids
Why does Antarctica appear long and thin on some maps and round on a globe?
Flat maps, unless they focus on polar regions, do not adequately depict the Antarctic continent (or the Arctic).Because a flat map usually shows latitudes as lines parallel to the floor, and because there is no commerce or commercial value in Antarctica, the continent is depicted as a series of white, glacial continent edges at the bottom of the map. (This is especially true in northern-hemisphere-centric maps.)Actually, Antarctica is a more-or-less circular continent, with a long arm (peninsula) that points to South America. It is about the same size as US and Mexico combined and occupies 10% of the earth's surface.Here is a map:http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/InfoAntarctica.html
How do I tell navman gps maps apart from other gps maps?
If you are looking to purchase navman gps maps the best way to tell them apart from other gps maps is to go to www.navman.com.au and download the maps from there. This will insure you are downloading the correct map format for your navman. As for the way they look compared to other gps maps, they all look basically the same so it is difficult to tell them apart by looks alone.
Is Antarctica larger than north America?
1st answer: No, South America covers 17,819,000 Sq. Km while Antarctica is only 13,209,000 Sq. Km wide. 2nd answer: Well, Antarctica is composed of ice. During their summer (our winter) Antarctica gets extremely smaller than in their winter. Yet, the height of their ice is as big as America, so no, it isn't as big as SA.
Direction to the left as you look at U.S. map?
Most maps have north at top, so left is west
