Answer
The four types of distortions that can result from map projections include size, distance, shape and orientation. However, a combination can also occur. A distortion in size and distance results in a map where one part of the map appears to be a different size than what is accurate, in relation to another part of the map. When the distortion is in shape and orientation, a change in the space of the map will cause objects to appear stretched and the orientation of certain lines such as one running northwest might look north northwest instead. Shape distortions appear on flat maps especially such as in the conformal map. This distorts the size of continents and areas which in turn affect the appearance of the distance. This means a continent can appear drastically different in size than reality.
Work Step by Step
The four types of distortions that can result from map projections include size, distance, shape and orientation. However, a combination can also occur. A distortion in size and distance results in a map where one part of the map appears to be a different size than what is accurate, in relation to another part of the map. When the distortion is in shape and orientation, a change in the space of the map will cause objects to appear stretched and the orientation of certain lines such as one running northwest might look north northwest instead. Shape distortions appear on flat maps especially such as in the conformal map. This distorts the size of continents and areas which in turn affect the appearance of the distance. This means a continent can appear drastically different in size than reality.
