Finnish publishers are in no rush to switch textbook maps to Equal Earth
Finnish educational-material publishers do not plan to immediately replace maps in textbooks and digital materials with the UN-approved Equal Earth projection. This was reported by YLE News.
The Equal Earth projection differs from the Mercator projection, developed in the 16th century. On the new map, Finland, Russia and the United States, in particular, appear smaller. At the same time, various map projections are already used in Finnish educational materials.
Projections in educational materials
Otava publishing house uses, among others, the Winkel Tripel projection, while Sanoma Pro uses the Robinson projection. Otava Content Director Eeva Lahdenmäki said that the Winkel Tripel projection is balanced and does not have the same distortions as the Mercator projection. Therefore, the publisher sees no urgent need to change its maps.
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Sanoma Pro Editorial Director Johanna Kainu-Borgas stressed that no projection can fully reproduce the spherical shape of the Earth on a two-dimensional surface. According to her, the Robinson projection is a compromise between the accuracy of areas, directions and distances.
Features of Equal Earth
In the Equal Earth projection, the areas of continents are represented proportionally, but their shapes are distorted. In particular, Africa appears longer on such a map than on a globe. The Nordic countries are also compressed in this projection, making it more difficult to display and read data on individual states, such as population growth indicators.
Maps for textbooks are selected according to the specific educational task. At Otava, this is done by graphics specialists together with the editorial team, while a geographer works on maps in Sanoma Pro materials. Otava considers Equal Earth as one option for new materials, while Sanoma Pro is discussing the possibility of switching to this projection but does not plan to change its maps immediately.
