Which term refers to the method of depicting the world on a plane by projecting lat-long coordinates to a flat surface?

• A. Map projection
• B. Relief model
• C. Contour interval
• D. Conformality

Answer: (A)

Map projection is the process of representing the globe on a flat surface by transforming lat-long coordinates into planar coordinates. It’s a mathematical method that converts the earth’s curved surface into a two-dimensional map, and in doing so it inevitably introduces some distortion in area, shape, distance, or direction depending on the projection chosen. Other terms refer to different ideas: a relief model is a three-dimensional representation of terrain, a contour interval is the vertical spacing between contour lines that show elevation, and conformality describes preserving local angles (shape) in a projection but does not name the general method of projection itself. So, the method of depicted the world on a plane from lat-long data is map projection.