126 THe geOgRaPHiC anD
CaRTOgRaPHiC FRaMeWORK
sible to condense an interrupted projection to gain scale and put a larger scale map
on a specific page size.
orientation Indication
Frequently one sees maps in textbooks, atlases, and other works that do not show the
projection name. This is not a problem when the area represented is a small one, such
as a city or county, but for larger areas, omitting the projection name does the reader
a grave disservice. This is especially so when the graticule has also been omitted, leav-
ing only ticks to show latitude and longitude, or when even the ticks have been left
off (a practice that cannot be recommended for world maps). When this is done, the
reader has no way of determining where the zone of best representation is found or
what the projection properties are.
Except for maps of easily recognizable areas where no reason exists for determin-
ing latitude and longitude and where the orientation is obvious, some indication of
orientation is needed. The graticule
will serve this purpose, as will grid ticks.
North arrows are the most frequently misused indicators of direction, as noted
in Chapter 2. A north arrow does not show the general direction of north on maps; it
is specific. The north arrow must be true for the entire map, not just one small spot;
therefore, unless the meridians are all straight and parallel, a north arrow cannot
be used. This means that, except for maps of small areas, the use of such an arrow
is limited to cylindrical projections in the equatorial case. It is not suited to conics,
azimuthals, or any projection with curved meridians.
