Which of the following statements about cartography and the creation of maps is false?

A.
Map projections may distort shapes and areas.
B.
Cartographers do their best to eliminate distortion when making map projections.
C.
Map projections never show distortion.
D.
A map projection is the transfer of a 3-D object onto a 2-D surface.

Please select the best answer from the choices provided.

A
B
C
D

1 answer

The false statement is C.

C. Map projections never show distortion.

This statement is false because all map projections involve some level of distortion in representing the three-dimensional surface of the Earth on a two-dimensional surface. Different projections manage distortion in various ways, but some distortion is always present.