General

Used in Goode’s Atlas, National Geographic’s world maps since 1988, and in a growing number of other publications. May replace Mercator in classrooms.

Uses tabular coordinates instead of mathematical formulas to make the Earth “look right”. This achieves a better balance of size and shape of high-latitude lands than Mercator, Van der Grinten, or Mollweide. Russia, Canada, and Greenland appear truer in size but Greenland looks compressed.

Not conformal, equal area, equidistant, or perspective.

Directions

True along all parallels and the central meridian.

Distances

Constant along the equator and other parallels,

Scale

True along 38° N and S.

Constant along any given parallel

The same along N and S parallels that are an equal distance from the equator.

Distortion

All points contain some distortion, with the greatest near the poles and lowest along the equator and within 45° of centre.

Type

Pseudocylindrical or orthophanic (“right appearing”)

History

Presented by Arthur H. Robinson in 1963.

Note

Not directly supported. Maps must be transformed before being used.

(United States Geological Survey, n.d.)