Conic A conic projection that distorts scale and distance except along standard parallels. Areas are proportional and directions are true in limited areas. Albers Equal-Area Conic Equidistant Conic Direction, area, and shape are distorted away from standard parallels. Used for portrayals of areas near to, but on one side of, the equator. Equidistant Conic Lambert Conformal Conic Area, and shape are distorted away from standard parallels.
Directions are true in limited areas.
Used for maps of North America. The polyconic projection was used for most of the earlier USGS topographic quadrangles. The projection is based on an infinite number of cones tangent to an infinite number of parallels. The central meridian is straight. Other meridians are complex curves.