A reversed map, also known as an Upside-Down map or South-Up map, is a world map that generally shows Australia and New Zealand at the top of the map instead of the bottom. Indonesia is placed in the center while Europe and the Americas are placed to the sides, although there are reversed maps centered on the Prime Meridian.
It is sold in Australia and New Zealand as a souvenir to tourists. They are also used as tools for teaching critical thinking.
The position of North at the top of maps is arbitrary; indeed there are many maps with non-standard orientation, such as Medieval maps, polar maps, and Dymaxion maps. The convention that North is at the top (and East at the right) on most modern maps was established by the astronomer Ptolemy and was widely adopted by other cartographers.
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Last updated on Saturday June 07, 2008 at 19:49:24 PDT (GMT -0700)
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