explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1500: Upside-Down Map

2015-03-18T10:37:37Z

Empires49: Fixing merge error from my previous edit

{{comic
| number = 1500
| date = March 18, 2015
| title = Upside-Down Map
| image = upside_down_map.png
| titletext = Due to their proximity across the channel, there's long been tension between North Korea and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Southern Ireland.
}}

==Explanation==
People often say that maps with the {{w|South-up map orientation|south pole at the top}} will ''change your perspective of the world''. Such a map can easily be achieved by simply rotating a normal map through 180 degrees.

This map is a comedic play on that where instead of the whole map being upside-down, each land mass is in the same position it would be in a traditional north-top map but rotated 180 degrees (presumably around some central point of the landmass) to the orientation it would have in a south-top map. Note that any islands that would normally belong to a given continent, is only rotated about their own center, and thus do not follow the rotation of the continent. This gives rise to the title text joke - see below. It seems unlikely that all these islands would still be visible after the {{w|continents}} have been rotated. Especially an island as {{w|Madagascar}} would probably disappear behind {{w|Sahara}} once {{w|Africa}} has been rotated. Of course this depends on where [[Randall]] has placed the point of rotation...

To keep their familiar shapes on a rectangular map, the continents would also have to be heavily distorted compared to their actual shapes, becoming much narrower (along the lines of latitude) near the poles and wider towards the equator. See also [[977: Map Projections]].

This arrangement of the world's land masses would have great advantages for trade, because there are (presumably navigable) straits between the {{w|Americas}} and between Africa and {{w|Asia}}, removing the need for the {{w|Panama Canal}} and the {{w|Suez Canal}}.

The title text references the fact that in this new map, the {{w|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}} (UK) is now next to Asia, specifically {{w|North Korea}} which have a rather bad reputation. Further, {{w|Northern Ireland}} is now at the south of the {{w|island of Ireland}}, so the UK's full name would need to change to The United Kingdom of Great Britain and '''Southern''' Ireland. There has been several wars concerning the {{w|English Channel}}, mainly, but not only, between {{w|England}} and {{w|France}}. Since a similar channel now in this world map is now between the UK and North Korea there would obviously have been many wars for the dominance over said channel.

Along the same line of thinking, jokes could be made of the following "new" facts:
*{{w|Cuba}} is now off the east (formerly west) coast of {{w|Canada}}.
*{{w|Japan}} is next to the coast of {{w|Portugal}}.
*Madagascar lies next to {{w|Mauretania}}.
*{{w|Taiwan}} is now next to France. It is though doubtful whether they get along any better with the French than with the mainland {{w|Chinese}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[Map of the world with all the landmasses upside-down.]

:[Below the main frame:]
:The Upside-Down Map will change your perspective of the world!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Maps]]

1500: Upside-Down Map

2015-03-18T10:34:36Z

Empires49: correcting some of the "new facts"

{{comic
| number = 1500
| date = March 18, 2015
| title = Upside-Down Map
| image = upside_down_map.png
| titletext = Due to their proximity across the channel, there's long been tension between North Korea and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Southern Ireland.
}}

==Explanation==
People often say that maps with the {{w|South-up map orientation|south pole at the top}} will ''change your perspective of the world''. Such a map can easily be achieved by simply rotating a normal map through 180 degrees.

This map is a comedic play on that where instead of the whole map being upside-down, each land mass is in the same position it would be in a traditional north-top map but rotated 180 degrees (presumably around some central point of the landmass) to the orientation it would have in a south-top map. Note that any islands that would normally belong to a given continent, is only rotated about their own center, and thus do not follow the rotation of the continent. This gives rise to the title text joke - see below. It seems unlikely that all these islands would still be visible after the {{w|continents}} have been rotated. Especially an island as {{w|Madagascar}} would probably disappear behind {{w|Sahara}} once {{w|Africa}} has been rotated. Of course this depends on where [[Randall]] has placed the point of rotation...

To keep their familiar shapes on a rectangular map, the continents would also have to be heavily distorted compared to their actual shapes, becoming much narrower (along the lines of latitude) near the poles and wider towards the equator. See also [[977: Map Projections]].

This arrangement of the world's land masses would have great advantages for trade, because there are (presumably navigable) straits between the {{w|Americas}} and between Africa and {{w|Asia}}, removing the need for the {{w|Panama Canal}} and the {{w|Suez Canal}}.

The title text references the fact that in this new map, the {{w|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland}} (UK) is now next to Asia, specifically {{w|North Korea}} which have a rather bad reputation. Further, {{w|Northern Ireland}} is now at the south of the {{w|island of Ireland}}, so the UK's full name would need to change to The United Kingdom of Great Britain and '''Southern''' Ireland. There has been several wars concerning the {{w|English Channel}}, mainly, but not only, between {{w|England}} and {{w|France}}. Since a similar channel now in this world map is now between the UK and North Korea there would obviously have been many wars for the dominance over said channel.

Along the same line of thinking, jokes could be made of the following "new" facts:
*{{w|Cuba}} is now off the east (formerly west) coast of {{w|Canada}}.
*{{w|Japan}} is next to the coast of {{w|Portugal}}.
*Madagascar lies next to {{w|Mauretania}}.
*{{w|Taiwan}} is now next to France. It is though doubtful whether they get along any better with the French than with the mainland {{w|Chinese}}.

==Transcript==
:[Map of the world with all the landmasses upside-down.]

:[Below the main frame:]
:The Upside-Down Map will change your perspective of the world!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Geography]]
[[Category:Maps]]