Mollweide Projection

Carl B. Mollweide created this pseudo-cylindrical projection in 1805. It is an equal-area projection designed for small-scale maps.

The Mollweide projection has several alternate names: Babinet, Elliptical, Homolographic, and Homalographic

Method of Projection:
A pseudo-cylindrical equal-area projection. All parallels are straight lines and all meridians are equally spaced elliptical arcs, except the central meridian, which is a straight line. The poles are points.

Linear Graticule:
The Equator and central meridian.

Properties:

Shape: Shape is not distorted at the intersection of the central meridian and latitudes 4044' N and S. Distortion increases outward from these points and becomes severe at the edges of the projection.

Area: Equal-area.

Direction: Local angles are true only at the intersection of the central meridian and latitudes 4044' N and S. Direction is distorted elsewhere.

Distance:: Scale is true along latitudes 4044' N and S. Distortion increases with distance from these lines and becomes severe at the edges of the projection.

Limitations:
Useful only as a world map.

Uses and Applications:
Suitable for thematic or distribution mapping of the entire world, frequently in interrupted form.

Combined with the Sinusoidal to create Goode's Homolosine and Boggs.