That mapmaking is a complex thing came to my attention when talking to an old friend studying the matter at the time. The takeaway was that there is always an imbalance between angle an area.
This video was very nice as it explains the matter in a sensible and easy to understand way. The fact that map making also has a political dimension is also noteworthy. A map is an abstraction and simplification we as humans often start substituting for the real thing.
Making accurate maps is mathematically impossible
Please make sure to check some of the links vox.com gathered on the subject:
Interact with projections
The True Size (Mercator tool)
Mike Bostock Map Transitions
Mercator Puzzle
Cartography
Cartography (; from Ancient Greek: χάρτης chartēs, 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and γράφειν graphein, 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
The fundamental objectives of traditional cartography are to:
Set the map's agenda and select traits of the object to be mapped. This is the concern of map editing. Traits may be physical, such as roads or land masses, or may be abstract, such as toponyms or political boundaries.
Represent the terrain of the mapped object on flat media. This is the concern of map projections.
Eliminate the mapped object's characteristics that are irrelevant to the map's purpose. This is the concern of generalization.
Reduce the complexity of the characteristics that will be mapped. This is also the concern of generalization.
Orchestrate the elements of the map to best convey its message to its audience. This is the concern of map design.Modern cartography constitutes many theoretical and practical foundations of geographic information systems (GIS)...
Definition from Wikipedia – Cartography