In a flip of convention, my giant, framed world map displays the southern hemisphere — Australia included — at the top. It's a twist, but not strictly speaking a distortion.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.

Called the AuthaGraph, the result is a world map that looks a little different than most of us are used to. Seen in rectangular form, Antarctica is intact and at the bottom right. The Americas and ...

The Sonoma County Fire District in California juxtaposed a map of Australia's fires with a map of the United States, showing the massive scale of Australia's numerous wildfires — or so some believe.