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RR 2002/365
The Peters World Atlas: The Earth In Its True Proportions New Internationalist Publications and Oxford Cartographers
Oxford
2002
228pp.
ISBN 0 9540499 5 0
L14.95
Keyword Geography
All maps are approximations to an unobtainable truth. Their design is influenced by the social and economic background of those who commission and draw them, and those who use them. The Peters Projection makes a specific point about our perception of the world, in particular about the North-South divide. Peters Projection aims to show countries in a true representation of their size. This background is discussed in the preface by Arno Peters, and in the cartographic introduction.
The atlas part of this book shows the world in 85 maps in Peters Projection, all to the same scale. By using a constant scale the true size argument is extended. The coloration of the maps is based on satellite images to give a clear distinction in colour between vegetated regions, barren lands and continental ice, with sea ice shown as a cracked surface. Careful use of shading emphasises hills and mountains....