armadillo

Raisz

Classifications

orthoapsidal

Graticule

Meridians: Central meridian (10° or 15°E) is straight. Other meridians are elliptical arcs, concave toward the central meridian.
Parallels: Elliptical arcs of the same eccentricity, concave toward the north pole.
Poles: North pole is semiellipse. South pole cannot be shown.
Symmetry: About the central meridian.

Aspects

Oblique is the basic aspect.

Scale

Gradually decreases with distance from the center.

Distortion

Distortion is moderate in central portions.

Other features

An oblique orthographic projection of the world plotted with equidistant meridians and parallels onto a portion of a torus ring (similar to a doughnut). Antarctic region cannot be shown, but the projection was claimed to have “more land in proportion to sea than any other world map”. Often plotted with New Zealand, normally hidden from view, appended to Australia as a “pigtail”.

Usage

Whole-world maps.

Similar projections

Other “orthoapsidal” projections proposed by Raisz in 1943. Raisz coined this term from “orthographic” and “apsidal.”.

Origin

Presented by Erwin J. Raisz (1893-1968) of Harvard University in 1943.

Description adapted from J.P. Snyder and P.M. Voxland, An Album of Map Projections, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1453. United States Government Printing Office: 1989.