October 1, 2018 at 4:16 pm

World Map of Oceans and Shorelines

by twistedsifter

world map of oceans and shorelines World Map of Oceans and Shorelines

Map by Le Cartographe | Original by Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus

 

According to the USGS, about 71% of the Earth’s surface is water-covered with oceans holding about 96.5% of all Earth’s water.

This inspired a series of maps in 1942 by oceanographer and geophysicist Athelstan Frederick Spilhaus which can be found in his book: Atlas of the World with Geophysical Boundaries Showing Oceans, Continents and Tectonic Plates in Their Entirety

Above, we see an ocean/shoreline map reimagined by Le Cartographe which seeks to emphasize the importance of the seas. As per their website:

“In order to realize this one the author uses the principles of the two following projections. The projection of Ernst Hammer and that of August Heinrich Petermann (co-author with Hermann Berghaus and Carl Vogel from Atlas Stieler). The result is an interrupted projection in which the oceans form a unit. It’s both awesome and totally confusing. The deformation is such that the American and Asian continents are completely torn apart. Europe, Africa and South-East Asia, on the other hand, maintain a coherent form . This projection is rarely used and it is a shame!”

 

 

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