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Robinson Projection

Definition

The Robinson projection is a compromise map projection showing the entire world at once. It displays both poles as lines rather than points and gives a realistic view of land masses near the equator.

Analogy

Imagine trying to fit all your clothes into one suitcase without wrinkling anything too much - you have to make some compromises. That's what Robinson did with his projection; he made some compromises so we could see everything at once without too much distortion.

Case Studies

case studies

Impact

The Robinson projection affects educational materials and our perception of geography by presenting more visually pleasing and less distorted images of the Earth than some other projections. However, like all map projections, it has compromises and can influence how we understand spatial relationships between continents and regions.

Related terms

Azimuthal Projection: A type of map projection where directions from a central point are preserved usually used for polar maps.

Orthographic Projection: A perspective (or azimuthal) projection which presents the earth from infinite distance with only one hemisphere visible at any time.

Goode’s Homolosine Projection: An interrupted equal-area, composite map projection used for world maps normally presented with multiple interruptions.