Which term describes a map projection oriented 90 degrees from its standard orientation?

Which term describes a map projection oriented 90 degrees from its standard orientation?

• A. Transverse
• B. Normal
• C. Oblique
• D. Polar

Answer: (A)

Orientation of a map projection refers to how the projection surface is aligned relative to the Earth's axes. In a standard orientation, the projection is aligned with the equator. If you rotate that setup by 90 degrees so the axis runs along a meridian, you get a transverse orientation. This is exactly why a Transverse Mercator projection uses a cylinder tangent to a meridian rather than to the equator—the central line of true scale is the north–south line rather than the east–west line. Oblique would be rotated along a path that isn’t along a pure meridian or the equator, and polar centers the projection near a pole rather than describing a 90-degree rotation from the standard orientation. So the term for a projection oriented 90 degrees from its standard orientation is transverse.

Orientation of a map projection refers to how the projection surface is aligned relative to the Earth's axes. In a standard orientation, the projection is aligned with the equator. If you rotate that setup by 90 degrees so the axis runs along a meridian, you get a transverse orientation. This is exactly why a Transverse Mercator projection uses a cylinder tangent to a meridian rather than to the equator—the central line of true scale is the north–south line rather than the east–west line. Oblique would be rotated along a path that isn’t along a pure meridian or the equator, and polar centers the projection near a pole rather than describing a 90-degree rotation from the standard orientation. So the term for a projection oriented 90 degrees from its standard orientation is transverse.