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Does the world map you use convey a sense of Separation or Connectedness?  

    See our offer to "Get a free map" below....

Map graphics function in many ways...
some you already know about...
The most obvious is centering...what's important is in the middle...or possibly also on top....

But how do color selections impact us?
Look at this example:

Mercator - Rand McNally
Colors are assigned to be as different as possible, so the borders (and separateness) between countries are emphasized. This makes complete sense if your task is to learn the different country names.

Arno Peters made a specific point on his Peters Map to "regionalize" each area based on "geographic identity." Peters was a Socialist who lived through Hitler's Nazi Germany and WW2 and he believed we needed one map for the entire world, not an ethnocentric Germany-centered map like the Mercator projection above.... see  Peters use of colors by regional themes below ... clearly a vision of less separation.
Peters_ Map emphasized regional identities













Learn more about Peters' vision and motivations from the 30-minute YouTube film about how he created his map.

Oxford Cartographers in 1986 began developing Peters Atlas a proprietary 3-D hill-shading software in order to publish the first-ever Equal-Area World Atlas. It took about three years to complete and in 1989 they released the 1st edition of the Peters World Atlas.
The latest edition is still available for about $25 on AMAZON ... in a gorgeous 5-pound, hardcover, coffee-table edition ... with each map at the same scale.  Using the same software, Oxford then created a Pacific-centered  Peters Map  that had all the country names, borders, and major cities, but - as with the Atlas - it emphasized elevation, and connectedness, and became the perfect tool to better understand the planet's  environmental challenges. Here is that map:
Pacific-centered Peters Environmental Map




 








Further, the Pacific-centered approach above is unique, as it "breaks set" with the traditional Africa-centered image. On the map above one can really tell (because it is an equal area map) how much of the Earth's surface is water ...and that percentage is huge ... far more than most people imagine. Looking at the map above, you truly get a sense of "connectedness" which is going to be crucial to our understanding of environmental challenges....and the way to best respond to them.

Would you rather be separate or connected? You choose!

Get a free Pacific-centered environmental Peters map here: you can get one paper folded  Pacific-centered map above free on the ODT web site. Use a coupon code of  PCPfree  when you check out from our web store, and the $4.97 cost of the map will be deducted from your order. Limit one coupon use per customer. The coupon can also be used to reduce the price of the laminated version of the same map (usually $19.95, but your price is reduced by $4.97, so your net cost is $14.98 for the laminated rolled map). Our modest $2.95 S&H applies in the USA. In the USA S&H is free for orders over $50. International customers need to be individually quoted on S&H costs. 

If you want to purchase either paper folded or laminated Pacific Peters maps for your school in volume, we have special discounts for educational institutions ... email me with potential quantities desired and I can quote you a price.
For background on the Pacific Peters
watch the 30-second video clip below...
NOTE: This environmental map was published in 2005 and does not include the latest cartographic updates such as South Sudan and several updates to names of some cities.    
See how centering changes your perceptions










See other free maps, books, & postcards  at this URL.... 
and also request our free 4-page Peters Map Explanation
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RESTRICTION on PURCHASE: Any items from this special offer may not be offered for re-sale on AMAZON or any other reseller platforms. Thanks!
Questions? Feedback? Special requests?....please call us
413-549-1293  or SKYPE us at  ODTinc  
We look forward to hearing from you,
Bob Abramms
NOTE: Our new web site is: ManyWaysToSeeTheWorld.org