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Unfolding the Earth

By Jacob Aron

10 December 2009

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Unravelling the world in novel new ways

(Image: J van Wijk/The Cartographic Journal/Maney Publishing)

A new technique for unpeeling the Earth’s skin and displaying it on a flat surface provides a fresh perspective on geography, making it possible to create maps that string out the continents for easy comparison, or lump together the world’s oceans into one huge mass of water surrounded by coastlines.

See a gallery of the new maps

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