﻿MAPS 
  — 
  HARRISON 
  AND 
  STRAUSZ-HUPE 
  255 
  

  

  The 
  search 
  for 
  a 
  compromise 
  solution 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  many 
  ingenious 
  

   projections, 
  but 
  for 
  strategy 
  we 
  still 
  have 
  to 
  revert 
  to 
  the 
  globe. 
  One 
  

   way 
  of 
  approximating 
  true 
  geographic 
  relationship 
  is 
  to 
  decide 
  what 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  global 
  area 
  is 
  of 
  least 
  interest 
  and 
  select 
  a 
  projection 
  

   which 
  tends 
  to 
  lump 
  the 
  distortion 
  in 
  that 
  area. 
  Thus 
  the 
  "center 
  of 
  

   remoteness" 
  from 
  the 
  war 
  and 
  its 
  connecting 
  lines 
  is 
  at 
  or 
  very 
  near 
  

   the 
  South 
  Pole. 
  In 
  fact, 
  from 
  the 
  South 
  Pole 
  to 
  the 
  thirtieth 
  parallel 
  

   south 
  of 
  the 
  Equator 
  is 
  an 
  enormous 
  area, 
  nearly 
  one-third 
  the 
  

   earth's 
  surface, 
  in 
  which 
  no 
  engagement 
  of 
  importance 
  has 
  been 
  

   fought 
  and 
  which 
  supply 
  lines 
  touch 
  only 
  peripherally. 
  To 
  banish 
  

   the 
  distortion 
  into 
  the 
  "inactive" 
  area, 
  we 
  center 
  the 
  map 
  on 
  the 
  

   opposite, 
  or 
  North 
  Pole, 
  and 
  make 
  linear 
  scale 
  true 
  along 
  radii 
  from 
  

   its 
  pole 
  along 
  the 
  meridians. 
  This 
  is 
  called— 
  in 
  the 
  semantics 
  of 
  

   cartography 
  — 
  the 
  North 
  Polar 
  azimuthal 
  equidistant 
  projection 
  and 
  

   is, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  its 
  name, 
  a 
  pretty 
  good 
  map 
  for 
  global 
  strategy. 
  At 
  

   least 
  it 
  has 
  the 
  prime 
  advantage 
  of 
  showing 
  continuity 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   land 
  areas 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  war. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Pole 
  to 
  within 
  20° 
  of 
  the 
  Equator 
  there 
  is 
  remarkably 
  

   little 
  distortion 
  on 
  this 
  map. 
  This 
  area 
  contains 
  all 
  the 
  major 
  world 
  

   powers, 
  all 
  the 
  major 
  fighting 
  fronts, 
  except 
  the 
  Southwest 
  Pacific 
  

   islands, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  supply 
  lines. 
  The 
  Mercator 
  projection 
  which 
  

   for 
  centuries 
  has 
  had 
  an 
  iron 
  grip 
  on 
  the 
  naval, 
  military, 
  and 
  teach- 
  

   ing 
  professions, 
  divides 
  its 
  distortions 
  equally 
  between 
  the 
  North 
  and 
  

   South 
  Polar 
  regions 
  and 
  is 
  true 
  on 
  the 
  Equator 
  only. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  

   construction 
  of 
  the 
  Mercator 
  projection, 
  the 
  regions 
  immediately 
  

   adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  Poles 
  cannot 
  be 
  shown 
  at 
  all, 
  since 
  they 
  fade 
  into 
  

   infinity. 
  Yet, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  Mercator's 
  usefulness 
  in 
  navigation, 
  

   most 
  seafaring 
  men 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  think 
  of 
  intercontinental 
  relations 
  

   mainly 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  Mercator. 
  Mercator's 
  world 
  is 
  the 
  world 
  of 
  sea 
  

   power. 
  

  

  Politically 
  ours 
  is 
  a 
  Northern 
  Hemisphere 
  world. 
  For 
  93 
  percent 
  

   of 
  the 
  world's 
  population 
  and 
  about 
  75 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  world's 
  

   habitable 
  land 
  lie 
  in 
  northern 
  latitudes. 
  Modern 
  history 
  has 
  been 
  

   made 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  latitudes. 
  The 
  power 
  centers 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  

   situated 
  40° 
  or 
  more 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Equator. 
  London, 
  Berlin, 
  Tokyo, 
  

   and 
  Moscow 
  lie 
  from 
  900 
  to 
  1,500 
  miles 
  closer 
  to 
  the 
  North 
  Pole 
  than 
  

   to 
  the 
  Equator. 
  Obviously 
  a 
  map 
  whose 
  maximum 
  accuracy 
  is 
  at 
  

   the 
  Equator 
  (like 
  Mercator) 
  cannot 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  inter- 
  

   relation 
  of 
  the 
  centers 
  of 
  power 
  in 
  North 
  America, 
  Europe, 
  and 
  Asia. 
  

   This 
  relationship 
  can 
  be 
  rendered 
  most 
  successfully 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   polar 
  projections. 
  

  

  The 
  map 
  reader 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  misled 
  by 
  the 
  distortions 
  of 
  a 
  particular 
  

   map 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  necessary 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  specific 
  distortion 
  and 
  make 
  the 
  

   proper 
  visual 
  correction. 
  The 
  main 
  pitfall 
  to 
  avoid 
  is 
  the 
  continual 
  

  

  