conical projection
A geography teacher points to a conical projection map on the classroom wall.
Noun: A conical projection is a method of representing the surface of the Earth (or another celestial body) on a flat map. It is created by projecting the geographic features onto a cone that is placed over the globe, typically with the apex of the cone aligned over one of the poles. This projection is best suited for mapping mid-latitude regions with an east-west orientation.
The term is used in cartography (map-making) and geography to describe a specific class of map projections. It is a technical term.
Examples: * For mapping a country like the United States, a cartographer might choose a conical projection to minimize distortion. * The conical projection is not suitable for representing the entire world on a single map. * Many standard regional maps in atlases are created using a conical projection.
- Secant Conical Projection: A variation where the cone intersects the globe along two standard parallels, reducing distortion across a wider area. The Lambert Conformal Conic projection is a common example.
- Tangent Conical Projection: A variation where the cone touches the globe along a single standard parallel.
- Conic Projection: This is a direct synonym and is often used interchangeably with "conical projection."
- Lambert Conformal Conic Projection: A specific and widely used type of conical projection that preserves local shapes (conformality).
- Albers Equal-Area Conic Projection: A specific type of conical projection that preserves relative areas.
- Conic projection
- Cylindrical projection (e.g., Mercator projection)
- Azimuthal projection (e.g., Orthographic projection)
- Map projection: The general family of methods to which conical projection belongs.
- Standard parallel(s): The line(s) of latitude where the cone touches or slices through the globe in a conical projection; these are the areas of least distortion on the map.
- Distortion: A key concept when discussing any map projection, including conical ones, as flattening a sphere inevitably stretches, shrinks, or skews features.
A geography teacher points to a conical projection map on the classroom wall.
- a map projection of the globe onto a cone with its point over one of the earth's poles