What Maps Distort

Every flat map has to sacrifice at least one of these:

• Area — regions can look larger or smaller than they really are
• Shape — landmasses get stretched or squeezed
• Distance — a straight line rarely shows the shortest real path
• Direction — compass bearings can mislead

The Peters projection flips Mercator's trade-off: it keeps area correct, so Africa finally looks huge and Greenland shrinks to true size. The cost is shape — continents look stretched and thin. No projection shows everything truthfully.