Which statement about Cylindrical Equal-Area projections is true?

• A. Straight meridians and parallels
• B. Parallels equally spaced
• C. Parallels unequally spaced
• D. Oblique cylindrical equal-area projections

Answer: (A)

Cylindrical Equal-Area projections arrange the grid so that areas match the real world. When the globe is wrapped onto a cylinder and then unwrapped, longitude lines (meridians) map to vertical straight lines and latitude lines (parallels) map to horizontal straight lines. So the grid on the map is made of straight meridians and parallels.

The spacing between parallels, however, is not constant. The vertical position on the map corresponds to the sine of latitude, so as you move toward the poles the distance between parallels changes. This preserves area but means parallels aren’t equally spaced.

Oblique versions exist, but the defining property in the standard sense is that both meridians and parallels are straight lines on the map.