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I feel so relieved! (feddit.org)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/memes@lemmy.world
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[–] 2 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

fair

i guess most western maps are arranged in such a way that the middle east is in the center and the atlantic is on the map completely because

  1. the atlantic has probably been more important historically than the pacific, as europeans sailed over the atlantic, not the pacific.

  2. the pacific ocean is a bigger body of water, so having it on the "back" side of the globe makes sense because this way, you have a more uninteresting back-side of the globe and a more interesting front-side.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    No, they are not. I really suggest you look at an European map. Algeria/Mali are in the center of the map, depending on how much Antarctica is included.

    Maps are normally centered roughly around the region you buy them in. European maps are centered on the 0 meridian, because it fits so nicely while keeping the European countries around the center. The 0 meridian was just defined by the Brits as going through Greenwich.

    The bottom is cut of more, because Antarctica is less interesting than Canada, Greenland and Siberia.

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