The Ramblings of a Confused Fish

The Map that Leads to You

Haha, Maroon 5 reference.

I cannot be the only person who fully never knew that the Seychelles is right next to Kenya and Tanzania. I would tell you where I thought it was but it simply never crossed my mind.

I have a large map in my bedroom, which I sometimes stare at when I outline my writing. When I stare at it, I realize how ginormous the world is. I also find random islands I never knew existed whenever I look at a different area. Every time I upload another day's work, count on the fact that I was staring right at some random island every paragraph break.

Maps are used to create a complete model of the earth and its land masses. Did you know that most maps are disproportionate?

Oh, I didn't. I was living my life believing that Russia was wider than Africa was lengthwise. That Greenland was a similar size to the United States. My cousin brought it up once. He asked me how I could ever think that Greenland was that huge. How didn't I question the map I had grown up on? Why didn't I doubt it for even a second? I don't know, and I'm not going to question it.

The most accurate map in the world is the Authagraph, which won a design award in 2016. I attached a picture of it below for the people who don't want to google it. It is extremely pixelated, but you should be able to tell how different it is from regular maps (credits to Picasa). Despite its proportions most closely aligning with the Earth's, it doesn't align with any compass rose (that symbol on your map that shows the four cardinal directions) out there. That's why I want to go to space, then I can see the truth. Someone recommend me to NASA for the astronaut position, if it's open.

I find it so interesting how maps are like pieces of art to mapmakers and globemakers. You can find the most accurate map in the world, but many people will only buy them if they look nice. Don't get me wrong, the Authagraph is incredibly accurate and I hold respect for its creators, but I wouldn't display it in my foyer for all to see. Maybe in my room to admire. It's a political map that lacks details about the landmasses it encompasses. All it has is proportions and color coding to tell countries apart. It is a wonder, but it means nothing to someone less interested in it.

On the other hand, I would love to own an antique (obsolete) map. It's proof the world we live in changes frequently and drastically. I would search for a map from the '60s or '70s to show the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia (I spelled that first try) before they were dissolved. It's like owning a little piece of history in my hands.

My battered, torn, and wrinkled map will survive another day, and I will not be replacing it anytime soon. Until then, I still don't know what the tropic of Cancer or Capricorn means or why it has to be marked on my map.