A world globe is a representation of the Earth. The map may be engraved, or printed directly onto the surface of the globe ball.
Most of our globes are either:
- two plastic halves joined at the equator, with the map printed on plastic film, or
- printed on paper gores or segments.
Because of their manufacture, sometimes the gores are slightly out of alignment. This is an artefact of the manufacturing process.
In addition, these same globes often have "bumps" on them. This is "raised relief" - the bumps show where there are mountains. The bumps are, therefore, deliberate and not a fault.
All flat maps distort either the shape or the area of the Earth's surface.
Globes are an accurate representation of the world that keep shape, area and distance in proportion.
Because of the many variations in monitors and browsers, the colour of a globe may appear different on different monitors. We cannot guarantee that what you see accurately portrays the colour of the globe.