Where is the center of the world? The UN map explained
Every map chooses a protagonist
In an Azimuthal Equidistant projection, the protagonist is the center. Distance and azimuth from that point to every other place are true. Relationships among the remaining points need not be.
Why does the UN map look this way?
The UN emblem uses a North-Pole-centered aspect. Continents surround a shared center rather than putting one state in the middle of a rectangle. The official design ends at 60° south.
Which is larger in reality: Africa or Greenland?
Antarctica as a ring
The center's antipode cannot remain a single point on the flat disk; it expands around the outer rim. In the north-polar aspect this affects the South Pole and stretches Antarctica along the edge. It is a property of the projection, not a physical model of Earth.
Change the center, change the question
In the lab, choose Warsaw or Quito, or tap anywhere. Rings and directions immediately begin describing the world from that new reference point.
Source: the UN's official emblem and flag description.
Turn the idea into a click
These links open ready-made comparisons and tools that extend the article topic.