Remapping geography: using cartograms to change our view of the world

This article discusses how cartographic work has contributed to geographic thinking and how maps have helped to change our perception of the world. A special focus is taken on cartograms as an alternative way to show quantitative information in maps in unusual and thought-provoking ways. Recent developments in mapping techniques have changed the way we can understand the complexity of the world with its diverse social and physical dimensions. This includes the use of much higher-resolution data, which allows larger scale areas to be viewed and understood through gridded cartograms in novel forms. The Worldmapper project has pioneered work in this area (the project website was relaunched in 2018 after the latest improvements were implemented). The article demonstrates how Worldmapper gridded cartograms can translate complex geographic thinking into visual understanding by revealing how map projections have helped us to gain a different perspective of our world.