# Polar map projection? I don't know what they're called... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316 "2005-08-23T19:51:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/1 "2005-08-23T19:51:54Z")
…but I like them. The only time I see them are in news articles that talk about Canada. Can you help me find a map projection that uses the North Pole as the center of the map, rather than the Atlantic? Something like [this](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4175446.stm#map) but that includes the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/2 "2005-08-23T19:59:15Z")
Are you referring to Buckminster Fuller’s[map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_map) of the world? ---
**Author:** ![Enterprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/76d3ee/32.png) [@Enterprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enterprise)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/3 "2005-08-23T20:13:32Z")
You can pretty much center any kind of projection you want on Canada, to greater or lesser success. A map that is centered on either of the poles is, interestingly enough, called a “polar projection”. You’d have interesting results, however, trying to show the rest of the world in such a projection, since by the time the projection reaches the equator, it becomes so badly distorted it is of nary a use, and it cannot possibly project anything BEYOND the equator. If you can give us an idea of what use you’d like to put the map to, I’m sure there’s some map out there that’d best suit your needs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/4 "2005-08-23T20:13:55Z")
[Perhaps one of the Azimuthal Projections](http://www.progonos.com/furuti/MapProj/Normal/ProjAz/projAz.html)? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/5 "2005-08-23T20:19:55Z")
> [@Punoqllads](#): > > Are you referring to Buckminster Fuller’s[map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_map) of the world? No, but I like that! I guess what I’m looking for is, say, a Peters or Mercator projection (or similar) centered on the North Pole. I know those projections get distorted but…well…they’re distorted centered on the Atlantic, too. Or any other maps with an unusual (i.e., not Western) perspective. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/6 "2005-08-23T20:29:52Z")
> [@chique](#): > > No, but I like that! > > I guess what I’m looking for is, say, a Peters or Mercator projection (or similar) centered on the North Pole. I know those projections get distorted but…well…they’re distorted centered on the Atlantic, too. Or any other maps with an unusual (i.e., not Western) perspective. Then perhaps one of the [conformal projections](http://www.progonos.com/furuti/MapProj/Normal/ProjConf/projConf.html)? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polar-map-projection-i-dont-know-what-theyre-called/318316/7 "2005-08-23T20:42:40Z")
If you are interested in map projections, get a copy of [Flattening The Earth](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0226767477/qid=1124829826/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4366848-3909627?v=glance&s=books) by J.P.Snyder. My personal fave polar projection is [Peirce’s Quincuncial](http://www.progonos.com/furuti/MapProj/Normal/ProjConf/projConf.html) (about half way down)