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John Paul Goode

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description John Paul Goode Overview

John Paul Goode was an American geographer and cartographer who lived from 1862 to 1932. He is best known for developing the homolosine map projection in 1923, which combined the Mollweide and sinusoidal projections. This interrupted projection was widely adopted in 20th-century educational atlases because it provided an equal-area depiction of Earth's landmasses with minimal distortion. His work significantly influenced how physical geography was taught in schools across the United States.

help John Paul Goode FAQ

What is the Goode homolosine projection?

It is an interrupted equal-area world projection developed by John Paul Goode in 1923. It combines aspects of the Mollweide and sinusoidal projections to preserve area while reducing some distortion.

Why is the Goode homolosine projection interrupted?

The projection uses several lobes and breaks across selected oceans so that continents can be shown with less shape distortion. The tradeoff is that the oceans are not displayed as one continuous surface.

How is Goode's projection different from the Mercator projection?

Goode's homolosine preserves relative area much better for world maps, while Mercator preserves local angles and is useful for navigation. Goode's design is therefore more common in thematic and educational maps than in marine navigation.

When did John Paul Goode develop his projection?

Goode developed the homolosine projection in 1923. It became one of the best-known 20th-century alternatives for showing global population, land use, and other area-based subjects.