Difference Between Map and Globe

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As we know that the shape of the earth is not perfectly spherical because it is a bit flattened at both the north and south poles and bulge in the centre. Every person is curious to know, how our earth looks like in the universe, but there are only handful of persons who can travel space and see it live. One can have an idea of earth’s appearance, with a globe. A globe is a miniature form of the earth, which represents distances, directions, continents, oceans, countries, etc.

A globe is often misconstrued with a map, which diagrammatically represents the earth’s surface or a part thereof, based on scale. This article excerpt presents you the difference between map and globe.

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Map	Globe
Meaning	A map is a graphical representation of an area, land or sea, depicting physical features.	A globe is a spherical rounded model of the earth.
Presentation	Two-dimensional	Three-dimensional
Latitude and Longitude	Drawn as straight lines.	Drawn as circles and semi-circles.
Earth	Whole or a part of earth is represented.	Whole earth is represented.
Information	Shows large number of information.	Comparatively less information is shown.

Definition of Map

Map implies a diagrammatic portrayal of an entire area of earth or a part thereof, drawn on a flat surface on the basis of scales. However, it is not possible to flatten the circular shape exactly.

The map is used to highlight specific and detailed characteristics of a particular area on a sheet of paper, which can be handled and transported easily. It depicts they way various things are related to one another regarding distance, direction and size. A collection of maps is known as Atlas, which are available in different sizes and measurements. The various types of maps are:

Physical map: The type of map which shows natural attributes of earth like the mountain, plateaus, oceans, rivers, etc.
Political map: The map in which countries states, towns and cities are represented with their political boundaries is called political map.
Thematic map: The one that concentrates on specific information like roads, rainfall, distribution of industries, etc. is termed as thematic maps.

Definition of Globe

A globe is a spherical-shaped, miniature form of earth or any other heavenly object like the moon or other planets. It provides a three-dimensional view of the whole world by depicting distances, directions, areas, etc. It represents continents, oceans and countries in their exact size.

Globes are available in a diverse range of sizes and types. It is not fixed, instead, it can rotate, just as the earth rotates on its axis and this is because a needle is fixed through it in a slanting manner. The points at the top and bottom of the globe, through which the needle runs are the two poles i.e. the North Pole and the South Pole. Such needle is not present in the real earth.

Key Differences Between Map and Globe

The difference between map and globe can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:

A map can be explained and understood as the graphical representation of an area, land or sea, depicting physical features. On the contrary, globe alludes to the spherical-shaped model of the earth.
A map provides 2-D (two-dimensional presentation) of the world or its parts. Conversely, the globe provides 3-D (three-dimensional presentation) of the entire world.
The latitudes and longitudes are depicted as circles or semi-circles. Hence, no misrepresentation is there in the shape and size of continents. As against this, latitudes and longitudes are depicted as straight lines, and so the shape and size of the continent are deformed.
One of the major advantages of a map is that it represents either whole or a part of the earth. In contrast, the globe can only represent entire earth.
A map shows the comparatively large amount of information than a globe, by the use of symbols.

Conclusion

Both globe and maps have their merits and demerits, in the sense that when it comes to accuracy, globe represents directions and distances better than a map. In the same way, maps are a step ahead of globes regarding various advantages. Typically, maps are compact, which makes them easy to store, carry and handle. Moreover, one can view map on different screen sizes as well as it can show larger area, at one time