Harpers Ferry Typography

projection...

"The map projection used here is the same as seen in XTPF 4, but with 32 iterations of the world map, configured in a figure-eight pattern. The singular points within the map, located at the South Pole, Yucatan (Mexico), the South Pacific, and Sudan are mostly superimposed with additional text- and image-based inclusions, several referencing the history of European colonialism. The figure-eight configuration is not entirely of one piece, given the central overlapping segment. The obscured part of the map, consisting of the greater part of two worlds worth of terrain, is reproduced in lower-contrast above the rest of the image." (Source)

Go to the website and check out the larger image!

Gastronomical Map of France

(Source)

The Mollweide Projection

Also known as the elliptical projection or homolographic equal-area projection (Source), the Mollweide Projection is named for Karl Mollweide (an astronomer and mathematician) who developed it during the mid 19th century (Source).

sphere, geoid, ellipsoid, natural surface...?

Here we have various representations of the Earth - the "perfect" sphere, the more accurate ellipsoid, the more realistic geoid (with smooth/curved surfaces), and the "natural" surface (the most accurate depiction - though probably not so much in this freehanded image).

why i chose the links i chose

The US census geography home page (and the census home page in general) is a great place to find data that can be used to create maps.

The USGS (or United States Geological Survey) is a great place to find relevant information and mapping resources. You can order maps of pretty much any region.

Strange Maps is a cool blog. It has maps from both the present and past of unusual statistics. My favorite, although less unusual than many of the maps on the page, is the percentage of obese people by state map. Looks like Mississippi needs to hit the gym.