Equal Earth Map: The Map Projection Lab

Field notes

The site teaches projection distortion through direct manipulation rather than diagrams alone. Its central lab lets visitors compare Equal Earth with Mercator and several other projections, while a latitude drag demonstrates how the displayed footprint changes away from the equator. The page quantifies the Greenland example as roughly fourteen times Africa’s apparent size on Mercator and exposes 1/cos φ as the underlying stretch factor. Five sequential experiments cover the geometry and trade-offs before the comparison table.