Immappancy
September 28, 2012 2:34 PM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Double. -- restless_nomad
Down with hegemony of our Mercator-based Overlords!
Seriously though, is there a picture that shows how much is arable land?
posted by fragmede at 2:40 PM on September 28, 2012
Seriously though, is there a picture that shows how much is arable land?
posted by fragmede at 2:40 PM on September 28, 2012
Seriously no link to the West Wing map bit yet?
posted by vuron at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by vuron at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2012 [2 favorites]
Does it make you "immappate" if you mistakenly consider the Republic of Ireland as part of the UK?
posted by afx237vi at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by afx237vi at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
We're comparing the size of a continent to the size of countries here... apples/oranges anyone?
posted by HuronBob at 2:46 PM on September 28, 2012
posted by HuronBob at 2:46 PM on September 28, 2012
Does it make you "immappate" if you mistakenly consider the Republic of Ireland as part of the UK?
On that very point there is a 'movement' to insert the term weesi (western european english speaking isles) into the English vernacular. Well, a movement of three.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 2:46 PM on September 28, 2012
On that very point there is a 'movement' to insert the term weesi (western european english speaking isles) into the English vernacular. Well, a movement of three.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 2:46 PM on September 28, 2012
The U.S. and China are bigger than any of the countries in Africa. Sure, people might turn this fact into the (false) belief that the U.S. and China are bigger than Africa the continent, but really all this map says to me is that if Africa was one big happy nation-state (that kicked out all the evil invaders and exploiters, wink wink nudge nudge), it would be bigger than China and the USA combined.
If the author is really just trying to state objective facts, why did he / she exclude Russia and Canada? I suppose the statement, "The four biggest nations in the world, Russia, China, Canada and the United States, are much larger than Africa when combined, but each alone is not!" isn't as edgy and interesting.
posted by anewnadir at 2:49 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
If the author is really just trying to state objective facts, why did he / she exclude Russia and Canada? I suppose the statement, "The four biggest nations in the world, Russia, China, Canada and the United States, are much larger than Africa when combined, but each alone is not!" isn't as edgy and interesting.
posted by anewnadir at 2:49 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
We're comparing the size of a continent to the size of countries here... apples/oranges anyone?
Because that's the easiest way to fit identifiable land masses into the boundaries of Africa.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:50 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Because that's the easiest way to fit identifiable land masses into the boundaries of Africa.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:50 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
And the point is that Africa is larger than most imagine.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:51 PM on September 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by filthy light thief at 2:51 PM on September 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
Not clear why it should surprise that Africa is bigger than Japan. Well, yes.
I'm all for helping Americans get their geography on, because it's pretty embarrassing what we don't learn in school, but I am not loving the term "immappancy."
posted by ambrosia at 2:52 PM on September 28, 2012
I'm all for helping Americans get their geography on, because it's pretty embarrassing what we don't learn in school, but I am not loving the term "immappancy."
posted by ambrosia at 2:52 PM on September 28, 2012
I am not loving the term "immappancy."
That's because it's a stupid "word".
posted by adamdschneider at 2:53 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
That's because it's a stupid "word".
posted by adamdschneider at 2:53 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Seriously though, is there a picture that shows how much is arable land?Less than 10%. But, given the size and population of Africa, that's actually not too low.
posted by Jehan at 2:55 PM on September 28, 2012
Immappancy is also not realizing that Alaska is a US state.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 2:56 PM on September 28, 2012
posted by demonic winged headgear at 2:56 PM on September 28, 2012
Wait, China is roughly the same size east-west as the 48 states? I thought it was so much bigger.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:00 PM on September 28, 2012
posted by TWinbrook8 at 3:00 PM on September 28, 2012
Oh yeah? They can't even fit Australia in there!
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:02 PM on September 28, 2012
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:02 PM on September 28, 2012
Also, if we're playing that game, it shouldn't "immappancy" but "intabulacy".
posted by Jehan at 3:03 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Jehan at 3:03 PM on September 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm disturbed that they decided to chop China in half and throw the parts on each other. That seems very aggressive, and unlikely to make the Chinese feel good about this map.
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:07 PM on September 28, 2012
posted by GenjiandProust at 3:07 PM on September 28, 2012
Down with hegemony of our Mercator-based Overlords!
It's easy to hate on Mecator, but for the purposes it was designed, navigation, Mercator projection maps are great. Obviously, it's not a good all purpose map, but (at least in the US) we're doing a much better job teaching kids the problems with all map projections*, and showing them the alternatives.
*It's also obviously not an issue of Mercator being "wrong" and other's being right. All maps distort, Peters is no righter, except in that it serves the purposes of showing area better.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 3:09 PM on September 28, 2012
It's easy to hate on Mecator, but for the purposes it was designed, navigation, Mercator projection maps are great. Obviously, it's not a good all purpose map, but (at least in the US) we're doing a much better job teaching kids the problems with all map projections*, and showing them the alternatives.
*It's also obviously not an issue of Mercator being "wrong" and other's being right. All maps distort, Peters is no righter, except in that it serves the purposes of showing area better.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 3:09 PM on September 28, 2012
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posted by Egg Shen at 2:38 PM on September 28, 2012 [3 favorites]