Goode Homolosine Projection
Aug 27,2026

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Introduction

Goode Homolosine Projection, also known as the Goode Equal Area Projection, is an interrupted pseudo-cylindrical equal-area projection developed by John Paul Goode in 1925. It combines the Mollweide projection for regions outside 40°44′ north and south latitude with the sinusoidal projection for the equatorial region in between, reducing distortion over global landmasses or oceans as much as possible by interrupting portions of the meridians. It strictly maintains proportional area equivalence between the map and the ground. It is often used for small-scale thematic world maps that require precise area comparisons, but it cannot simultaneously preserve the continuity of both land and ocean and is not suitable for navigation purposes.

Projection Basic

The Goode Homolosine Projection is a composite pseudo-cylindrical equal-area projection. It applies the Mollweide projection to high-latitude regions beyond 40°44′12″ north and south, while the mid-to-low latitude regions near the Equator are converted using the sinusoidal projection. The meridians are interrupted to reduce shape distortion across different regions as much as possible while strictly maintaining global area conservation. In the projected result, the Equator and the central meridian are orthogonal straight lines, other meridians are curves concave toward the central meridian, and the parallels are straight lines perpendicular to the central meridian.

Pros

Strictly equal-area: Maintains area without distortion throughout, with the area ratio of any region on the map exactly matching that on the ground. Highly suitable for thematic world maps requiring precise area comparisons, such as population, resources, and ecology.
Better distortion control: Through its interrupted lobe design, it significantly reduces shape and distance exaggeration over land areas compared to the Mercator projection, presenting the actual morphology of continents more realistically.
Flexible adaptability: Can be switched between land-focused and ocean-focused versions, selectively preserving the continuity of continents or oceans to suit different thematic mapping needs.

Cons

Geographic continuity breaks: Cannot simultaneously preserve the complete morphology of both land and ocean—either the ocean is fragmented or the continents are interrupted, and regions such as Greenland may also appear split, affecting the overall visual coherence of the map.
Completely unsuitable for navigation: Meridians point in different directions across regions, with significant directional and angular distortion, making it entirely unusable for navigation scenarios such as marine and aviation applications.
Angular artifacts at seams: The junction between the sinusoidal and Mollweide projections is not perfectly smooth, and noticeable shape distortion remains in regions far from the central meridian.

Application Scenario

The Goode Homolosine Projection, with its strict equal-area property, is primarily used in the production of small-scale thematic world maps that require precise area comparisons—for example, global vegetation distribution, land use, population density, and ecological resource statistics. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center also employs this projection for processing global remote sensing raster data. It can be switched to a land-focused or ocean-focused version as needed, respectively suiting thematic mapping scenarios that emphasize continental plates or oceanic water bodies. It is also widely used in global land cover monitoring and area analysis of long-term time-series remote sensing imagery.