What type of map projects Earth's features onto a cone?

A conic map projects Earth's features onto a cone, which allows for greater accuracy in the depiction of shapes and sizes of landmasses, especially in mid-latitude regions. This projection method involves wrapping a cone around the globe, which touches the Earth's surface along specific lines of latitude. The result is that areas close to these latitudes are represented with minimal distortion. Conic projections are particularly useful for mapping countries or regions that span a greater east-west distance rather than north-south.

Other types of maps, such as orthographic maps, display the Earth from a perspective that resembles how it would look from space, showcasing a three-dimensional view without the cone projection. Polar maps focus on the polar regions, projecting the Earth from the poles and typically using azimuthal projections. The Robinson map is an example of a compromise projection that aims to minimize distortion but does so without relying on a conic structure. Each of these techniques has its specific applications, but the conic method is distinct in how it utilizes a cone to project the Earth’s features.