This 1912 map uses the Mercator projection, which inflates the size of land near the poles such that Greenland appears to be the same size as South America when in fact it is only one-eighth as big.

The thing you must realize -- that most people don't realize -- is that this map isn't accurate. In the interest of keeping lines of latitude and longitude perpendicular (which they are) on this ...

A hiker and outdoorsman, Mr. Thomas as a child yearned for a world where nature ruled supreme. His map represents the “idealistic planet that I wanted,” Mr. Thomas, 34, said.

Meridians (imaginary vertical lines going through the Earth from the North to the South Pole) are mapped onto vertical lines equally spaced apart on the map, and circles of latitude (imaginary ...