Submitted by emsot t3_1098uax in askscience
nichogenius t1_j3zee7b wrote
This might not be the actual cause of what YOU are seeing, but one big difference is caused by many maps using the Mercator projection. The mercator projection (the most common flat map of the world) causes the poles to become very stretched. Smaller features are visible at the poles than at the equator. It's as if you are looking at the poles through a higher magnification than the equator, so your viewpoint is closer to the ground.
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