Certain map projections, or methods of portraying the Earth in the most accurate scale possible, are more well-known and widely used than others. The three most popular forms of map projections are cylindrical, conic, and azimuthal. Each one has advantages for certain applications. Cylindrical maps rotate the whole world around an axis that is parallel to the equator, thereby showing everything on a circle with the poles at the center. These maps are commonly used for global overviews because they preserve both high-latitude and low-latitude features. The only problem with this map type is that all directions are equal distance from the center, so it's not useful for finding specific locations within the world. Conic maps distort the shape of the globe but try to keep its overall size constant. Thus, they show things closer together at the top of the map and farther apart at the bottom. This helps to reduce clutter on global scales while still showing detail at local levels. Conic maps are often used in road atlases and other regional maps because they allow you to see relationships between cities and towns across large distances. However, they don't work as well for showing location within a city because everything is clustered near the center.