The flat maps you're accustomed to seeing are nowhere near as accurate as you'd like to believe. Flattening the globe puts the relative scale of the continents way out of whack. There's a place in Boston you can go to see a huge globe that has the continents in perfect relative scale. It is called the Mapparium, and it is in the Mary Baker Eddy Library. You can stand inside this three-story stained glass globe and observe the whole globe—as it existed in the past. The globe was designed and built in the 1930s, and depicts many countries that no longer exist: Transjordan, Balochistan, Tanna Tuva, North and South Rhodesia, and more. Learn more about the wonders of maps, and the Mapparium, with these videos.
You Can Stand Inside A 3-Story Globe At The Mapparium
A Trip To The Mapparium
Go inside the incredible stained glass globe.
Key Facts In This Video
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Countries like Transjordan, Balochistan, Tanna Tuva, North and South Rhodesia, and more used to exist in the 1930s. 02:01
Maps vs. Reality
Check out the weird distortions that exist on flat maps.
25 Maps That Will Change The Way You See The World
Blow your mind with a few simple maps.
Written by
Curiosity Staff
January 22, 2016
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