IF (big if) the Earth were really flat then a map on an equally flat paper should have no distortions and not involve any 'projection' but only a ratio of scale (e.g. Maps of smaller portions of the world, such as of a single country, also have distortion - usually nearer the edges - but less dramatic, and maps of even smaller portions, such as of cities would have very slight distortions (probably not greater than the width of the lines used to represent highways). This map is reliable for distances only from the central point (here, the North Pole) and not from any other place, and the distortion in distance becomes worse as the distance from the center increases.Įvery world map on flat paper has some sort of distortion - in shape, distances, direction, and/or area usually at least two of the four characteristics. Altho very popular with FEers, especially because it feeds the nonsense about an ice wall, congruent with Antarctica, surrounding the rim of a flat planet, it is not the 'official' or definitive Flat Earth map - there is no such official map. The Azimuthal Equidistant projection can be centered on any point on earth (frequently on important cities) but the North Pole seems to be politically neutral (at least to white people). This map, the unofficial FE map, is a Polar Azimuthal Equidistant (PAE) projection.

Old fashion flat earth map