What does a map scale show?

The relationship between map distance and real distance

The World Maps Quiz – Facts Worth Knowing

Take the world maps quiz to learn why Greenland looks huge on Mercator maps, how latitude and longitude work and who made famous early maps. Ten questions cover facts worth knowing.

Start the World Maps Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Projections
On a Mercator map, which island looks almost as big as Africa?
History
Who created the Mercator projection in 1569?
Lines
Lines of latitude run in which direction?
Lines
What is the latitude of the equator?
Lines
Which line of longitude passes through Greenwich, London?
Tropics
Which line lies about 23.4 degrees north of the equator?
History
Who made the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, in 1570?
History
Which 1507 map was the first to use the name America?
Tools
What does a map scale show?
Words
What is the name for lines on a map connecting points of equal elevation?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: On a Mercator map, which island looks almost as big as Africa?
Answer: Greenland
Greenland looks enormous because the Mercator projection stretches areas near the poles. Africa is actually about 14 times larger.
Q2: Who created the Mercator projection in 1569?
Answer: Gerardus Mercator
Mercator's map kept compass directions straight, which made it very useful for sailors navigating by bearing.
Q3: Lines of latitude run in which direction?
Answer: East-west
Latitude lines, or parallels, circle Earth east to west and measure distance north or south of the equator.
Q4: What is the latitude of the equator?
Answer: 0 degrees
The equator is 0 degrees latitude. The North Pole is 90 degrees north and the South Pole 90 degrees south.
Q5: Which line of longitude passes through Greenwich, London?
Answer: The Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is 0 degrees longitude. Directly opposite, at 180 degrees, is roughly where the Date Line runs.
Q6: Which line lies about 23.4 degrees north of the equator?
Answer: Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer is the farthest north the sun appears directly overhead, on the June solstice.
Q7: Who made the first modern atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, in 1570?
Answer: Abraham Ortelius
Ortelius collected maps into one bound volume. Mercator later popularized the word atlas.
Q8: Which 1507 map was the first to use the name America?
Answer: Waldseemüller map
Martin Waldseemüller named the new continent after explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The Library of Congress bought the only surviving copy in 2003.
Q9: What does a map scale show?
Answer: The relationship between map distance and real distance
A scale of 1:100,000 means one centimeter on the map equals one kilometer on the ground.
Q10: What is the name for lines on a map connecting points of equal elevation?
Answer: Contour lines
Close contour lines show steep slopes, while widely spaced lines show gentle ground.

The World Maps Quiz – Flattening a Round World

Every flat map distorts the round Earth in some way. Mercator's projection keeps shapes and directions correct but inflates areas near the poles. Equal-area projections, like the Gall-Peters, show true sizes but stretch shapes. Many atlases now use compromises such as the Robinson or Winkel tripel projections.

Maps have a long history. Babylonian clay tablets show early world maps, Ptolemy described latitude and longitude around AD 150 and the Ottoman admiral Piri Reis drew a famous world map in 1513. Today, satellites and GPS let maps update constantly.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz suits students learning map skills and anyone curious about why maps look the way they do.

Why Greenland looks too big on many maps
How latitude and longitude work
What the tropics and Prime Meridian are
Who made the first atlas
How map scales and contour lines work

Did You Know?

The word atlas comes from the Greek Titan who held up the sky.
Google Maps launched in 2005.
Russia also looks much larger than it is on Mercator maps.
Ptolemy's Geography influenced mapmakers for more than 1,000 years.
Old maps sometimes wrote here be dragons for unknown areas, though this phrase is very rare.