conic projection

A conic projection is a method used in cartography to create maps. It involves imagining a hollow cone placed over a sphere, like the Earth. When this cone is unrolled, the lines of contact become the central parallel of the mapped region. Parallels on the map are shown as arcs of circles, and meridians appear as straight lines radiating from the cone's vertex.1

A specific type, the Lambert conformal projection, uses a cone positioned with its apex aligned with a geographic pole. The cone intersects the Earth at two standard parallels, and points are projected onto the cone from the Earth's center. The resulting map is created when the cone is flattened. This projection is useful for maintaining shape and direction over specific areas.2