Category:Bad Map Projections

2025-07-30T23:22:19Z

2600:6C5A:487E:E6EC:3E6F:6CF:DB0:7527:

*A series of comics of bad {{w|map projections}}. Such projections (real and invented) is a topic [[Randall]] often returns to.
**'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed explanation:
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This series began in [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize|January 2017]], and that it was a series became clear when it got its second installment in [[1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones|February 2017]]. But then it took three years until the third came in [[Bad Map Projection: South America|January 2020]]. The fourth came a year and a half later in [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special|July 2021]]. The fifth came nine and a half months later in [[2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator|April 2022]]. The sixth came 15 months later in [[2807: Bad Map Projection: ABS(Longitude)|July 2023]].

Randall has been into [[:Category:Maps|maps]] for a long time on xkcd. Especially he focused on map projections, which are various ways to show the Earth on a flat surface, as in [[977: Map Projections]]. This is not possible to do without distortion because the Earth is not flat.</noinclude><sup>[[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]]</sup><noinclude>

A long time after releasing that comic, which did not say the projections were bad, but clearly showed how different Earth's countries looks in different maps, he continues the list of projections (well, with Bad Map Projections he made himself) in what turned out to be a series, of eight comics so far.

However, these projections are not real projections, and they are all named "Bad Map Projection: ''(Name)''".
They even get a number, which if taken seriously would mean there are 349 other unreleased bad map projections at least, as the highest number so far is 358 and as of 2025 there have been released only nine bad map projections.

So far they have the following numbers (listed in number order rather than release order; the first two were released in the opposite order, and later releases not adhering to any obvious order since then, but with the third having the highest number so far). Release number shown at the end.
:<nowiki>#45</nowiki>: [[2951: Bad Map Projection: Exterior Kansas|2951: Exterior Kansas]] (No. 7)
:<nowiki>#79</nowiki>: [[1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones|Time Zones]] (No. 2)
:<nowiki>#102</nowiki>: [[2999: Bad Map Projection: The United Stralia|The United Stralia]] (No. 8)
:<nowiki>#107</nowiki>: [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize|The Liquid Resize]] (No. 1)
:<nowiki>#152</nowiki>: [[2807: Bad Map Projection: ABS(Longitude)|ABS(Longitude)]] (No. 6)
:<nowiki>#194</nowiki>: [[3122: Bad Map Projection: Interrupted Spheres]] (No. 9)
:<nowiki>#248</nowiki>: [[2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator|Madagascator]] (No. 5)
:<nowiki>#299</nowiki>: [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special|The Greenland Special]] (No. 4)
:<nowiki>#358</nowiki>: [[2256: Bad Map Projection: South America|South America]] (No. 3)

This may give promise of several more bad projections. So far, the first two have been released using a similar six color scheme, like a political map with each country in a different color than its closest neighbors. But the other five were just plain black, gray, and white.

Since 2021 a new series that follows the same release type has arisen: [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]]. These are also numbered and there are also very high numbers used compared to the number that has been depicted.
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[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Comic series]]

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Category:Bad Map Projections