Everyone seems to be looking for a sense

for where they stand in the world.

A reference point on which to ground ourselves.

A mental map.

When we think of our mental maps

of the actual world, however,

that is, our intuitive sense for the shape

and relative position of places on the planet,

it may surprise you to learn that they're a bit off.

Many peoples mental maps of Earth, in fact,

share the same, fairly significant errors.

Relative positions, sizes,

and even the existence of minor locations

may be totally off-base.

The good news is, it's not your fault.

One reason for a skewed mental picture of the world

is our brains taking shortcuts.

Our minds try to simplify the layout

of highly detailed things.

Such as, the locations of cities

and countries around the world.

But these shortcuts may not always be accurate.

Take, for example, South America.

Many may think it's located more

or less directly south of North America,

with Chile corresponding roughly to California.

If you flew straight south from Los Angeles, however,

you wouldn't hit land again until Antarctica.

In reality, all of continental South America

is located east of Florida.

In this way, North and South America

could also be accurately named

west and east America, respectively.

These mental misconceptions aren't limited to the Americas.

Do you think of Africa as being largely

in the Southern Hemisphere?

Perhaps it's similar latitudes as South America?

In fact, the vast majority of Africa

is north of the equator.

I bet you never realized

that Disney World in Orlando, Florida

is closer to the equator

than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Europe is also much further north than many people realize.

A line drawn west out of London, England

would never touch the 48 contiguous states.

Paris is actually further north than Montreal.

Barcelona is around the same latitude as Chicago.

Our mental image of Europe being further south

than it actually is, may have to do with its weather.

Europe has what's called a Mediterranean climate.

The result of warm air crossing the Atlantic

via the Gulf Stream.

This means that many European cities

have climates that those of us in the Americas

associate with lower latitudes.

When we think about the weather in say, Venice,

we don't expect it to be located

further north than Toronto, but it is.

A skewed sense of the world

isn't just our brain's fault for taking shortcuts.

Every map you've ever seen

has been, in some way, distorted from reality.

For instance, many of us grew up

with maps in school that showed Greenland

to be about the same size as South America.

In reality, however, South America

is more than eight times larger than Greenland.

Similarly, most maps make it impossible

to see that Brazil is larger

than the contiguous United States,

and only slightly smaller than Canada.

Or that Alaska is actually smaller than Libya.

Now, how is it possible that maps can be so misleading?

The answer lies in the impossibility of representing

a three-dimensional object, the Earth,

in only two-dimensions, a map.

While a globe can accurately represent

relative positions, sizes,

and distances on the Earth's surface without issue,

compromises must be made

when trying to flatten an orb into a map.

Cartographers, people who make maps,

have developed various methods

of depicting the round Earth

on a flat surface called projections.

Each of these projections represents the earth accurately,

in some way, while distorting the planet in others.

For instance, one of the most common projections

is the Mercator projection.

Introduced in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator.

Mercator maps are found in classrooms around the world,

and it's even the projection used by Google maps.

Mercator's goal in developing his projection

was to aid in navigation.

Any angle on the globe is the same angle on a Mercator map,

which assured navigators

that they were heading towards their intended destination

in the days before GPS.

As a result, however, the relative sizes and shapes

of continents on Mercator maps are distorted.

Especially for land nearer to the poles.

As you move further away from the equator,

the Mercator projection shows land taking up more area

than it actually does on Earth.

This is why Antarctica looks so large,

while in reality being the third smallest continent.

As a result, Mercator projections

tend to portray northern countries, such as those in Europe,

as being larger than they actually are.

Remember how north London actually is?

Some scholars maintain that these countries magnification

has contributed to imperialist mindset.

Essentially allowing small European countries

to inflate their position on the world.

While the Mercator is one of the most commonly found around

and of the world,

it is far from the only projection available.

Each, like the Mercator,

has it's own benefits and drawbacks.

None is considered more correct than any other.

They're all trying to solve the same impossible problem.

Converting something from three-dimensions to two.

The only representation of Earth

that doesn't make any comprises, a globe.

Apart from mental shortcuts and distorted projections,

there's another reason why your mental map may be false.

You've been intentionally lied to.

Before satellites were taking high resolution photos

of all the Earth's surfaces 24-hours a day,

making a map was a painstaking job.

If you spent a ton of time and resources making a map,

you needed ways to ensure people wouldn't copy your work

and sell it themselves as their own map.

One way to do this was

by putting intentional errors in maps called trap streets.

For instance, if you were mapping your hometown

and included a made up street, nothing serious,

maybe just a fictional cul-de-sac in the corner of town,

and that same fake cul-de-sac

appeared in a competitor's map,

you could be confident they had stolen your map.

According to the grandson of the former president and CEO,

Thomas Brothers Maps would put fake streets

of people's kids' names, pets' names in little cul-de-sacs,

and that was one way we would be able to keep the copyright.

One of the most common descriptions of map making

is that it is both an art and a science.

Historians hypothesize that human consciousness

has always had an impulse to try to cognitively map

and relate to our physical surroundings,

and while human brains

may instinctively have an impulse to map,

the practice is by no means an innate skill,

leading to many distortions

in how we mentally believe the world is laid out.

It's important to keep in mind how,

just like the projections of globes onto maps,

the way we view our surroundings

is only one of many valid interpretations.

Sometimes, when you feel lost in the world,

changing perspectives may be just what you need

to find your way.

(upbeat piano music)