A physical world map is a representation of the Earth that highlights the geographical features and topography of the continents and oceans, without focusing on political boundaries such as national borders or capital cities. Instead, it emphasises natural features. It shows mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and other natural elements in various colours and shades.
The Van der Grinten projection is one of the compromise projections; that is, it does not attempt to preserve areas, angles or distances exactly, but rather to create a visually balanced overall picture. It provides an aesthetic and global representation without causing too much distortion.
