The edges of the world map

Thousands of years ago, most people probably thought that the Earth was flat, and if they reached the edge... ... they'd fall off. When we look at a globe, we see that there is no edge. Nowhere where the surface "ends". A flat map of the world does have an edge, but if you leave the world map here...

You arrive on the other side. If your direction was a bit to the north as well - that is in a northeasterly direction -- ... you'll still be travelling towards the northeast when you appear on the other side. Let's travel due north from Europe, straight towards the North pole. Where will we come back onto the map, and what direction will we have?

Pause the video to figure it out yourself. In order to answer that, it's easier to follow the path on a globe. We were traveling toward the North pole. When we pass the pole and continue in the same direction, we're heading south! We'll arrive here somewhere, by Alaska in North America.

To leave the map here -- Means that we return here. Now, we'll try to leave the map down here instead, going due south. Where will we reappear on the map? Pause the video if you want to figure it out for yourself. Let's look at the globe again.

We head directly for the south pole, and we'll continue up the other side of the Earth. Which on the map is... here. One last example. What if we leave the map here, at the corner?

Now we're heading both towards the south, and to the east. In what direction will we be travelling when we return to the map? Pause the video. We were heading to the south, and when we pass the bottom of the earth, that means we're travelling north. We were also heading east, and will keep that easterly direction.

So we will be moving northeast, returning to the map... ... here, in the other corner. It can be tricky, trying to see on a map where we continue from when we leave the edge. It is clearer - much clearer - on a globe.