outside of north america, how do world maps look like?

[hanzj]

Hello, within the United States, world maps tend to have North America on the upper left of a world map, and Australia towards the lower right. (Something like http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_map/world.gif)

But in other places such as Australia, the Middle East, China, Africa, how do world maps look? Is the layout any different.

Would love to hear from Non-Americans and people in developing nations and just anywhere!

Thank you very much.

[the8thstar]

Most maps I have seen here in France are laid the same as the one you're referring to.

[hanzj]

8thstar, thanks for your post.

[mdsmedia]

In Australia, Australia is generally shown at the bottom middle of the map with Europe upper left, Nth America upper right..etc.

[hanzj]

mdsmedia, thank you. that's interesting! I guess there is no map that everyone in the world would be happy with.

[F.G.]

so, i always kind of figured that that layout was designed to have the london in middle-ish (or maybe this is just sheer egomania). i know you get world maps in china that have europe and africa on the left and the americas on the right (and therefore china in the middle) which also kind of makes sense as it breaks down the atlantic.

[lisati]

so, i always kind of figured that that layout was designed to have the london in middle-ish (or maybe this is just sheer egomania). i know you get world maps in china that have europe and africa on the left and the americas on the right (and therefore china in the middle) which also kind of makes sense as it breaks down the atlantic.

Most of the maps I've seen locally are similar to this, with Australia & NZ somewhere near the middle on the bottom. One notable exception had north and south inverted, so that "Down Under" became "Up Over"

[QIII]

There is a tendency among us arrogant Yanks to not really care what anything else looks like to anyone else. Most Americans probably couldn't identify New Zealand on a map if it were circled in red.

Heck, the US in the center taking up 95% of the map with everything else smashed around the edges would probably seem pretty well proportioned to way too many of us.

[Henry Flower]

i know you get world maps in china that have europe and africa on the left and the americas on the right (and therefore china in the middle) which also kind of makes sense as it breaks down the atlantic.

Same in Vietnam.

[mips]

There is a tendency among us arrogant Yanks to not really care what anything else looks like to anyone else. Most Americans probably couldn't identify New Zealand on a map if it were circled in red.

Heck, the US in the center taking up 95% of the map with everything else smashed around the edges would probably seem pretty well proportioned to way too many of us.

I've seen a few 'American' maps where north and south America are in the centre of the map.

Majority of maps I have seen though have the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) in the centre where Europe & Africa are.