Editing Dymaxion map (section)

== Properties ==
{{multiple image
|image1  =Zeroth stellation of icosahedron.svg
|caption1=An icosahedron, the shape the world map is projected onto before unfolding
|width1  =55
|image2  =Dymaxion 2003 animation small1.webm
|caption2=The world flattens to a Dymaxion map as it unfolds into an [[icosahedron]] net with nearly contiguous land masses.
|width2  =240
}}
Though neither [[conformal map projection|conformal]] nor [[equal-area projection|equal-area]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/mapping/properties/fuller.htm | title=Fuller—ArcGIS Pro {{pipe}} Documentation }}</ref> Fuller claimed that his map had several advantages over other projections for world maps.

It has less distortion of relative size of areas, most notably when compared to the [[Mercator projection]]; and less distortion of shapes of areas, notably when compared to the [[Gall–Peters projection]]. Other [[Map projection#Compromise projections|compromise projections]] attempt a similar trade-off.

More unusually, the Dymaxion map does not have any "right way up". Fuller argued that in the universe there is no "up" and "down", or "north" and "south": only "in" and "out".<ref>Fuller, ''Intuition'' (1972).</ref> Gravitational forces of the stars and planets created "in", meaning "towards the gravitational center", and "out", meaning "away from the gravitational center". He attributed the north-up-superior/south-down-inferior presentation of most other world maps to [[cultural bias]].

Fuller intended the map to be unfolded in different ways to emphasize different aspects of the world.<ref>[http://www.geni.org/globalenergy/library/buckminster_fuller/dymaxion_map/fuller-faq.shtml "Frequently Asked Questions About The Fuller Projection"], Buckminster Fuller Institute, 1992, accessed 2010-07-28</ref> Peeling the triangular faces of the icosahedron apart in one way results in an icosahedral net that shows an almost contiguous land mass comprising all of Earth's continents – not groups of continents divided by oceans. Peeling the solid apart in a different way presents a view of the world dominated by connected oceans surrounded by land.

Showing the continents as "one island earth" also helped Fuller explain, in his book ''[[Critical Path (book)|Critical Path]]'', the journeys of early seafaring people, who were in effect using [[prevailing winds]] to circumnavigate this world island.

However, the Dymaxion map can also prove difficult to use. It is, for example, confusing to describe the four [[cardinal directions]] and locate [[geographic coordinates]]. The awkward shape of the map may be counterintuitive to most people trying to use it. For example, the shortest route from Africa to South America is not obvious. Depending on how the map is projected, land masses and oceans are often divided into several pieces.