Which statement about Cylindrical Equal-Area projections is true?

Which statement about Cylindrical Equal-Area projections is true?

• A. Straight meridians and parallels
• B. Parallels equally spaced
• C. Parallels unequally spaced
• D. Oblique cylindrical equal-area projections

Answer: (A)

In a Lambert Cylindrical Equal-Area projection, the cylinder is unwrapped into a rectangle, and the map preserves areas. This setup makes the grid of meridians and parallels appear as straight lines in both directions: a fixed longitude maps to a vertical line (meridians) and a fixed latitude maps to a horizontal line (parallels). So meridians and parallels are straight on the map. The reason this option stands out is that, while the lines are straight, the spacing between parallels is not uniform. The vertical spacing is not constant because the latitude mapping follows a sine function, which compresses distances toward the poles. That’s why a statement claiming parallels are equally spaced isn’t correct. There are indeed oblique forms of cylindrical equal-area projections, but the essential, defining feature described here is the straight-line grid in both directions.

In a Lambert Cylindrical Equal-Area projection, the cylinder is unwrapped into a rectangle, and the map preserves areas. This setup makes the grid of meridians and parallels appear as straight lines in both directions: a fixed longitude maps to a vertical line (meridians) and a fixed latitude maps to a horizontal line (parallels). So meridians and parallels are straight on the map.

The reason this option stands out is that, while the lines are straight, the spacing between parallels is not uniform. The vertical spacing is not constant because the latitude mapping follows a sine function, which compresses distances toward the poles. That’s why a statement claiming parallels are equally spaced isn’t correct. There are indeed oblique forms of cylindrical equal-area projections, but the essential, defining feature described here is the straight-line grid in both directions.