Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Greenland.

Setting aside Tender Is The Night for a moment, I just went for a little stroll through the mega-bookstore and there is a guy over there signing books, like an author. As I walked past, I noticed his book is one of those larger-than-life coffee-table photography books, and his is called _________. [deliberately deleted title]. The front cover is gorgeous.... I kept walking, then I froze with a question I have wondered for YEARS.... maybe a decade.... and so I turned around and went back to him.
I said... “Excuse me, but is it true that South America is something like nine times larger, land-mass-wise, than Greenland? Like I mean.... on flat maps of the world, Greenland is so huge-normous, it is actually spatially presented as being considerably bigger than South America.... yet it is NOT. It is much smaller. Is this true?”
And.... for the life of me..... he does not really know.
And I said “But, I assume you have lived there? In Greenland like?”
“Yes, I lived there for eight years, and have been back there about eighteen times since, mostly to photograph the images for this book. But I am not sure about what you are saying, perhaps flat maps are not drawn to scale?”
I was sort of boggled, I must say.
I mean, yes, flat maps are not drawn to scale, I know that.... but sheesh.... I mean, this fact about the presentation of Greenland on flat maps is not sort of miniscule. I mean.... it is presented as if it is half the dang size of the whole Northern hemisphere! And this guy has LIVED THERE and he does not know this? I don’t understand. It is the kind of “factoid” that if I were ever Greenlandian.... even for one day.... I would know this. I would.

5 comments:

  1. Yes this is very true Greenland is much smaller(approx.840,000sq.mi.) than South America(6,760,000sq.mi.)or about 1/8 as big. What you usually see on maps is a Mercator projection or putting a round object on a flat piece of paper. This causes all kinds of gaps especially near the poles (Greenland)that are filled in and a more accurate projection at the equator(South America).

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  2. And the point about the guy not knowing is well taken. Some people are big picture and some people are small picture.

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  3. Just turn left at Greenland...
    John Lennon,
    When asked how the Beatles found America on their first U.S. visit
    English singer & songwriter (1940 - 1980)

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  4. I knew it, I KNEW that someone would help me out with this! You are a veritable cartographer sanyavich. (Defn: one who carts things).
    Thank you.

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  5. Hey, that other thing there, about John Lennon. That is RICH!
    So rich it's fattening! That's hilarious. Thank you for that, anonymous. I may have to Splash du Jour that one day!
    Cippy.

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Thank you for your words!