Map of the World

[nona suomy]

I've only ever seen maps of the world with the UK in the middle and therefore the US is in the West and Asia in the East. Why is this and are maps the same all over the world. Are there any with other countries in the middle and therefore the East/ West provinces are different.

[Waterwolf]

This is only speculation on my part, but perhaps most of the maps we see are 'Eurocentric' because the Greenwich meridian is the centre of longitude, so it makes sense to put it in a central position on the map. Having said that, there are other kinds of maps; here, for instance, is a Japanese world map: http://www.umsl.edu/~wolfordj/courses/a11ws02/japw
orldmap.html

[nona suomy]

Thanks very much Waterwolf. Seems logical enough to me.

[answerbok]

suggest it's because Great Britain were top dog of invasions empires and importance at the time; here is a page about world maps and the G.M. Line; http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopic
s/Cartography.html

[Toglet]

In the US, many maps have the Americas in the centre.

[unknown]

very often the country where the map is likely to be purchased is found in the centre. mainly to make it easier for people to find (not that its that hard if you live on a large landmass)

[football]

I haven't a passport because I think the Earth is flat.

[paulz]

Its also so that the International dateline between Alaska & FSU is the "natural divide"

[KEJ2000]

No, norman dyson, the world maps in the USA do not "ALL" have the Americas in the center. The overwhelming majority still are the way they were described in the question. I wonder if *you* have a passport; clearly you have never been to other countries to look at their world maps, or else you would know better.

[KEJ2000]

I don't believe you and I beg to differ! I AM an American and have seen a good many more U.S. maps than you have, considering that I have spent nearly every day of my life here!!!! Where, exactly, were you looking at all of these maps you claim to have seen? In a museum devoted exclusively to rare, America-centered maps?