Projections
A comprehensive list of all the projections you'll ever need to know about. As a note, all of these projections are rendered with oblique aspects, so they may not look exactly like what you are used to. I highly recommend reading all the way through – some of the coolest projections are at the bottom.
Mercator
A very popular conformal cylindrical projection.
- Rating:
- ★☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Plate Carrée
An equidistant cylindrical projection focused on the equator.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Gall-Peters
A somewhat controversial equal-area cylindrical projection with least distortion at 45°.
- Rating:
- ☆☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Hobo-Dyer
An equal-area cylindrical projection with least distortion at 37.5°.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Behrmann
An equal-area cylindrical projection with least distortion at 30°.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Lambert cylindrical
An equal-area cylindrical projection with least distortion along the equator.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Gall Stereographic
A compromise cylindrical projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Cylindrical
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Stereographic
A mathematically important conformal azimuthal projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Azimuthal
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Azimuthal Equidistant
An equidistant azimuthal projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Azimuthal
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Azimuthal Equal-Area
An equal-area azimuthal projection.
- Rating:
- ★☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Azimuthal
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Gnomonic
A projection that draws all great circles as straight lines.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Azimuthal
- Property:
- Gnomonic
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Orthographic
A projection that mimics the Earth viewed from a great distance.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Azimuthal
- Property:
- Perspective
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Conformal Conic
The conformal conic projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Conic
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Equidistant Conic
The equidistant conic projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Conic
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Albers
The equal-area conic projection.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Conic
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Lee Tetrahedral
A conformal tetrahedral projection that really deserves more attention.
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Tetrahedral
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- No
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
AuthaGraph
A hip new Japanese map that is almost equal-area and would be super great if they actually published their equations.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Tetrahedral
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Sinusoidal
An equal-area map shaped like a sine-wave.
- Rating:
- ★☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudocylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Mollweide
An equal-area projection shaped like an ellipse.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudocylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- No
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Tobler Hyperelliptical
An equal-area projection shaped like a hyperellipse.
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Pseudocylindrical
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- No
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Hammer
An equal-area projection shaped like an ellipse.
- Rating:
- ★☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudoazimuthal
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Aitoff
A compromise projection shaped like an ellipse.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudoazimuthal
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Van der Grinten
A circular compromise map that is popular for some reason.
- Rating:
- ☆☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Other
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Robinson
A compromise pseudocylindrical projection designed by Arthur Robinson.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudocylindrical
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Winkel Tripel
National Geographic's compromise projection of choice.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Other
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Cahill-Keyes
An M-shaped octohedral projection with Antarctica assembled in the center.
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Truncated Octohedral
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- No
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Cahill-Concialdi Bat
A conformal octohedral projection with no cuts and a unique arrangement.
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Octohedral
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- No
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- No
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Peirce Quincuncial
A conformal projection that uses complex elliptic functions.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Other
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- No
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
GS50
'MURKA!
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Polynomial
- Property:
- Conformal
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- No
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Two-point Equidistant
A map that preserves distances, but not azimuths, to two arbitrary points.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Quasiazimuthal
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Hammer Retroazimuthal
The full version of a map where bearing and distance to a reference point is preserved.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Quasiazimuthal
- Property:
- Retroazimuthal
- Uninterrupted:
- No
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Flat Earth
The one true map.
- Rating:
- ★★★★★
- Geometry:
- Planar
- Property:
- True
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
Pseudostereographic
The next logical step after Aitoff and Hammer.
- Rating:
- ★☆☆☆
- Geometry:
- Pseudoazimuthal
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
TetraGraph
An equidistant tetrahedral projection that I invented.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Tetrahedral
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
TetraPower
A parametrised, rearranged, open-source version of my AuthaGraph approximation.
- Rating:
- ★★★★
- Geometry:
- Tetrahedral
- Property:
- Compromise
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
EquaHedral
A holey authalic tetrahedral projection to put AuthaGraph to shame.
- Rating:
- ★★★☆
- Geometry:
- Tetrahedral
- Property:
- Equal-area
- Uninterrupted:
- No
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- No
Two-Point Equalised
A projection I invented specifically for viewing small elliptical regions of the Earth.
- Rating:
- ★★☆☆
- Geometry:
- Other
- Property:
- Equidistant
- Uninterrupted:
- Yes
- Shows entire world:
- Yes
- Closed-form solution:
- Yes
- Closed-form inverse:
- Yes
