Dymaxion map

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dymaxion-map

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the inventor?Buckminster Fuller
2. What is the initial projection shape?Cuboctahedron (1943)
3. Why does the Dymaxion map put cuts in the ocean instead of land?The map puts cuts mainly in oceans because that keeps the land pieces whole. By not cutting through countries, the map keeps their shapes and sizes more accurate. This makes it easier to compare continents.
4. Who made the Dymaxion map and when?The first idea came from inventor Buckminster Fuller in 1943. In 1954 he worked with cartographer Shoji Sadao to make a new version that used a different shape. The map is called the Airocean World Map.

Polyhedral Map Projection: A map projection that uses the net of a polyhedron to represent the Earth's surface, aiming for reduced distortion.
Icosahedron: A regular polyhedron composed of 20 equilateral triangular faces, forming the basis for the Dymaxion map's structure.
Cartography: The science or practice of drawing maps, involving the study of map projections and their inherent distortions.
Mercator Projection: A cylindrical map projection widely used for navigation, known for preserving local shapes but significantly distorting areas at higher latitudes.