Mollweide projection in the context of "Equal-area projection"

Play Trivia Questions online!

 or

Skip to study material about Mollweide projection in the context of "Equal-area projection"
Ad spacer

⭐ Core Definition: Mollweide projection

The Mollweide projection is an equal-area, pseudocylindrical map projection generally used for maps of the world or celestial sphere. It is also known as the Babinet projection, homalographic projection, homolographic projection, and elliptical projection. The projection trades accuracy of angle and shape for accuracy of proportions in area, and as such is used where that property is needed, such as maps depicting global distributions.

The projection was first published by mathematician and astronomer Karl (or Carl) Brandan Mollweide (1774–1825) of Leipzig in 1805. It was reinvented and popularized in 1857 by Jacques Babinet, who called it the homalographic projection. The variation homolographic arose from frequent nineteenth-century usage in star atlases.

↓ Menu

>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<

👉 Mollweide projection in the context of Equal-area projection

In cartography, an equivalent, authalic, or equal-area projection is a map projection that preserves relative area measure between any and all map regions. Equivalent projections are widely used for thematic maps showing scenario distribution such as population, farmland distribution, forested areas, and so forth, because an equal-area map does not change apparent density of the phenomenon being mapped.

By Gauss's Theorema Egregium, an equal-area projection cannot be conformal. This implies that an equal-area projection inevitably distorts shapes. Even though a point or points or a path or paths on a map might have no distortion, the greater the area of the region being mapped, the greater and more obvious the distortion of shapes inevitably becomes.

↓ Explore More Topics
In this Dossier

Mollweide projection in the context of Pole of inaccessibility

In geography, a pole of inaccessibility is the farthest (or most difficult to reach) location in a given landmass, sea, or other topographical feature, starting from a given boundary, relative to a given criterion. A geographical criterion of inaccessibility marks a location that is the most challenging to reach according to that criterion. Often it refers to the most distant point from the coastline, implying the farthest point into a landmass from the shore, or the farthest point into a body of water from the shore. In these cases, a pole of inaccessibility is the center of a maximally large circle that can be drawn within an area of interest only touching but not crossing a coastline. Where a coast is imprecisely defined, the pole will be similarly imprecise.

↑ Return to Menu

Mollweide projection in the context of Karl Mollweide

Karl Brandan Mollweide (3 February 1774 – 10 March 1825) was a German mathematician and astronomer who taught in Halle and Leipzig. In trigonometry, he rediscovered the formula now known as Mollweide's formula. He invented a map projection called the Mollweide projection.

↑ Return to Menu
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Pole of inaccessibility ← Pole of Inaccessibility ← Equal-area projection ← Karl Mollweide
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Tissot's indicatrix → Equal-area projection → Map projection → Celestial sphere → Karl Mollweide → Leipzig → Jacques Babinet →