Over the past week, Boston Public Schools has decided to forego the use of the Mercator projection in classrooms. What is going to replace the projection? The Gall-Peters. Why? Africa and South America appear small on the map.

This is the thing about the Gall-Peters projection. It is no less distorted than the Mercator projection. Both are distorted. The Mercator was distorted when it was presented by the person it was named for, Gerhardus Mercator. It wasn’t even meant for classrooms when it was made. It was for sailors. On the Mercator, Greenland appears as big as South America.

The Gall-Peters is no good for public schools either. Distortion takes place there as well. The areas around the poles look small because of the east/west stretching. The areas around the Equator look elongated.

Watch the video below to hear more about this topic.