History Main / HemisphereBias

* Almost every map or globe ever made shows ''Northern'' Hemisphere Bias. There is no reason that maps shouldn't show South as "up" or globes shouldn't be mounted with the South Pole as the one on top, but the bulk of the Earth's landmass and the vast majority of its people are in the Northern Hemisphere so North is always "up". TheOtherWiki has an article on "reversed map" that discusses this.

* During the Cold War, in a rare meeting between senior military commanders from East and West, the Russian general politely looked at an American map showing the world from the usual Western perspective (i.e., centered on the Greenwich Meridian). This, of course, conditions Americans to see Russia as being a long way away. He then led his American counterpart to a room where a large map was pinned on the wall showing the world centered on Moscow. He politely explained that from this angle, Russia was surrounded by potential enemies - Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and this rather large North American landmass just on the other side of the North Pole from us - not far away at all in global terms. Now do you see why we feel the need for very large military forces? The American general studied the map of the world as Russians see it, and agreed he could see the other point of view.

* ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'' centers the charts of Earth's continents on Japan.

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[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The covers of books 1 and 4 of ''Literature/TheLongEarth'' show a string of Earths, all showing Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

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[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', whenever there's a view of Earth from space it centers on Africa. This is most likely because pretty much all of the Earth levels in the games are set in Africa.

* The third season of the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' ended with a shot of Earth which showed North America. (This should be a spoiler, but given the topic of ''this'' trope, it's fairly obvious what that spoiler would hide.) Averted in the fourth season, which shows Africa prominently.

** Averted in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' as well. You never actually land on Earth, but there is a side mission to Luna whereby Shepard unlocks his/her [[PrestigeClass specialization]]. The "Blue Marble" view of Earth looks to be centered on Asia.

** Note the clear (and [[WordOfGod admitted]]) use of [[SmallReferencePools Audience Provincialism]]. They wanted to show Africa in the first shot too, but executives suggested changing it for fear that the dominantly-North-American audience wouldn't [[ViewersAreMorons recognize their own planet]]. But audiences are anticipating the second shot (there's been a PlotArc built around it), priming them for Africa the second time around.

* The third season of the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}'' ended with a shot of Earth which showed North America. (This should be a spoiler, but given the topic of ''this'' trope, it's fairly obvious what that spoiler would hide.) Averted in the fourth season, which shows Africa prominently.

* In ''{{Halo}}'', whenever there's a view of Earth from space it centers on Africa. This is most likely because pretty much all of the Earth levels in the games are set in Africa.

[[AC:Unsorted]]
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CXY6TVBMc Spoofed]] by Harry Enfield, where a fake Imperial-era PSA series has in its opening credits a shot of the Earth with a Russia-sized British Isles in view.
* In ''{{Halo}}'', whenever there's a view of Earth from space it centers on Africa. This is most likely because pretty much all of the Earth levels in the games are set in Africa.
* Averted in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U this video]] from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. We go from the Himalayas to the edge of the known universe and back again.
* Averted in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', where a 21st century woman's first view of Earth from orbit is of Australia. Montana (her home), she's told, won't be in view for a little while yet.
** Played straight with the emblem of the Terran Empire, focusing on North and South America. ''Enterprise'' redraws the model to show both hemispheres though.
* Averted in ''[[{{Tintin}} Explorers on the Moon]]''. In the view of "our good old Earth, seen from over 6,000 miles", South America and Africa are the most visible continents; Europe is obscured from readers by a protruding periscope.
* [[http://www.blogkindle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/USA-Today-Logo.bmp The old logo]] for USA Today shows a stylized globe with North and South America facing us.
* In anticipation of Creator/GrantMorrison's ''Comicbook/TheMultiversity'', DC Comics released a [[http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2014/08/18/the-map-of-the-multiverse map of the DC multiverse.]] Earth-23 is a world where most superheroes are black; the picture of the planet provided is centered on Africa. (Although note that all other signs point to the United States still being the center of attention there.)

::Even the "Blue Marble" photo, mentioned above as an exception to hemisphere bias, is actually an example of Northern Hemisphere Bias. When the photo was taken, the camera was oriented in such a position that north is on the bottom of the photo and south was on the top. When the photo is published it is always flipped around so that north is on top and south is on the bottom.
* During the Cold War, in a rare meeting between senior military commanders from East and West, the Russian general politely looked at an American map showing the world from the usual Western perspective (i.e., centered on the Greenwich Meridian). This, of course, conditions Americans to see Russia as being a long way away. He then led his American counterpart to a room where a large map was pinned on the wall showing the world centered on Moscow. He politely explained that from this angle, Russia was surrounded by potential enemies - Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and this rather large North American landmass just on the other side of the North Pole from us - not far away at all in global terms. Now do you see why we feel the need for very large military forces? The American general studied the map of the world as Russians see it, and agreed he could see the other point of view.

* [[http://www.blogkindle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/USA-Today-Logo.bmp The logo]] for USA Today shows a stylized globe with North and South America facing us.

** Also seen on WebAnimation/HomestarRunner.

* Averted in ''{{Heroman}}'', where most shots are of North America, where the show takes place, rather than Japan, where it was made.
** {{Anime}} set in space usually show the eastern coast of Asia, with the islands of Japan positioned prominently.

* When the aliens arrived in ''Film/IndependenceDay'' we see North America, of course. It was noted that to do this, the Earth's tilt was wrong for July.
* Lampshaded in ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000: TheMovie'', when Mike and the robots are watching ''Film/ThisIslandEarth''. As the heroes return to Earth, a clear shot of North America is visible, and Crow remarks, "Ah, just like we left it, with the U.S.A. in charge!"
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4CXY6TVBMc Spoofed]] by Harry Enfield, where a fake Imperial-era PSA series has in its opening credits a shot of the Earth with a Russia-sized British Isles in view.
* Spoofed in the opening credits of ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'', where the Earth is seen from an angle placing the United States in full view, and there's nothing there ''but'' the U.S.: no Canada, no Latin America, just water.
** Also seen on WebAnimation/HomestarRunner.
* In ''{{Halo}}'', whenever there's a view of Earth from space it centers on Africa. This is most likely because pretty much all of the Earth levels in the games are set in Africa.
* The 1924 Soviet science fiction film ''Aelita'' has the Queen of Mars fall in love with the protagonist while watching him via a telescope. Since our hero is naturally a good Soviet citizen most of the shots of Earth center on Eurasia.
* Averted in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U this video]] from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. We go from the Himalayas to the edge of the known universe and back again.
* Averted in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', where a 21st century woman's first view of Earth from orbit is of Australia. Montana (her home), she's told, won't be in view for a little while yet.
** Played straight with the emblem of the Terran Empire, focusing on North and South America. ''Enterprise'' redraws the model to show both hemispheres though.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'', in which the cutscene showing the Komato fleet approaching Earth has the Earth centred at South America. Averted even more so when you consider that the creator is actually ''Swedish''.
* In ''OsuTatakaeOuendan'' and its sequel, the "victory" image after the final level shows Asia and Japan. In the Americanized ''EliteBeatAgents'', the results-screen image is of North America.

* Averted in ''[[{{Tintin}} Explorers on the Moon]]''. In the view of "our good old Earth, seen from over 6,000 miles", South America and Africa are the most visible continents; Europe is obscured from readers by a protruding periscope.
* [[http://www.blogkindle.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/USA-Today-Logo.bmp The logo]] for USA Today shows a stylized globe with North and South America facing us.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "Haredevil Hare," Bugs Bunny, from on the Moon, admires the "beautiful Earth out tonight"; he's looking at the Western hemisphere, of course.

* Averted in the remake of ''Series/{{Survivors}}'', wherein each episode ended with a sudden pullback to a view of the Earth...centred on Gibraltar. The series itself was filmed and set in and around Manchester.

* Inverted in ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (''[[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Mighty Morphin]]'' and ''[[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zeo]]'') where it is always pointed at Japan, because production couldn't afford to shoot new footage to replace the ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' footage.
* {{Lexx}} introduces the Earth by showing Newfoundland.
* PlayedForLaughs in Series/TheWestWing, with a group wanting to invert maps of the world, putting the south pole on top and resizing the continents.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Terranigma}}'', the chart of continents is centered on where Japan would be.
* RealLife:
** Almost every map or globe ever made shows ''Northern'' Hemisphere Bias. There is no reason that maps shouldn't show South as "up" or globes shouldn't be mounted with the South Pole as the one on top, but the bulk of the Earth's landmass and the vast majority of its people are in the Northern Hemisphere so North is always "up". TheOtherWiki has an article on "reversed map" that discusses this.
** Even the "Blue Marble" photo, mentioned above as an exception to hemisphere bias, is actually an example of Northern Hemisphere Bias. When the photo was taken, the camera was oriented in such a position that north is on the bottom of the photo and south was on the top. When the photo is published it is always flipped around so that north is on top and south is on the bottom.
** During the Cold War, in a rare meeting between senior military commanders from East and West, the Russian general politely looked at an American map showing the world from the usual Western perspective (ie, centred on the Greenwich Meridian) This of course conditions Americans to see Russia as being a long way away. He then led his American counterpart to a room where a large map was pinned on the wall showing the world centred on Moscow. He politely explained that from this angle, Russia was surrounded by potential enemies - Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and this rather large North American landmass just on the other side of the North Pole from us - not far away at all in global terms. Now do you see why we feel the need for very large military forces? The American general studied the map of the world as Russians see it, and agreed he could see the other point of view.

** Though this is averted at the end of ''Earthshock'' - the views of Earth quite clearly show Indonesia, China and Australia.
*** Ironically this is one time where a shot of North America would have been justified, since [[spoiler: the meteor strike that wiped out the dinosaurs, shown in the programme to be a crashing spacecraft, was in the Gulf of Mexico.]]

* Inverted in ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' (''[[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers Mighty Morphin]]'' and ''[[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zeo]]'') where it is always pointed at Japan, because...
** SuperSentai plays the trope totally straight.

* Spoofed in the opening credits of ''Moral Orel'', where the Earth is seen from an angle placing the United States in full view, and there's nothing there ''but'' the U.S.: no Canada, no Latin America, just water.

* {{Lexx}} introduces the Earth by showing Newfoundland
* PlayedForLaughs in TheWestWing, with a group wanting to invert maps of the world, putting the south pole on top and resizing the continents.
* In anticipation of Creator/GrantMorrison's ''The Multiversity'', DC Comics has released a [[http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2014/08/18/the-map-of-the-multiverse map of the DC multiverse.]] Earth-23 is a world where most superheroes are black; the picture of the planet provided is centered on Africa. (Although note that all others signs point to the United States still being the center of attention.)

** Played straight with the emblem of the Terran Empire, focusing on North and South America.

* Averted in the series finale of StargateAtlantis, for one small part. When Sheppard's F-302 is in orbit around Earth, it is very clearly over Italy.

* Lampshaded in ''[[MST3K Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie]]'', when Mike and the robots are watching ''ThisIslandEarth.'' As the heroes return to Earth, a clear shot of North America is visible, and Crow remarks, "Ah, just like we left it, with the U.S.A. in charge!"

The one big exception is when they copy "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blue_Marble The Blue Marble]]", a famous space shot of Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17. That shot is not only centered on Madagascar, but the original photograph has the Earth "upside-down" (i.e. the South Pole was at the top of the picture).

** While the Earth was in fact "upside down" in the "Blue Marble" photo mentioned in the introduction, when the photo was published this was reversed, with the Northern Hemisphere shown on the top of the photo.
* During the Cold War, in a rare meeting between senior military commanders from East and West, the Russian general politely looked at an American map showing the world from the usual Western perspective (ie, centred on the Greenwich Meridian) This of course conditions Americans to see Russia as being a long way away. He then led his American counterpart to a room where a large map was pinned on the wall showing the world centred on Moscow. He politely explained that from this angle, Russia was surrounded by potential enemies - Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and this rather large North American landmass just on the other side of the North Pole from us - not far away at all in global terms. Now do you see why we feel the need for very large military forces? The American general studied the map of the world as Russians see it, and agreed he could see the other point of view.

The one big exception is when they copy "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_marble The Blue Marble]]", a famous space shot of Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17. That shot is not only centered on Madagascar, but the original photograph has the Earth "upside-down" (i.e. the South Pole was at the top of the picture).

* During the cold War, in a rare meeting between senior military commanders from East and West, the Russian general politely looked at an American map showing the world from the usual Western perspective (ie, centred on the Greenwich Meridian) This of course conditions Americans to see Russia as being a long way away. He then led his American counterpart to a room where a large map was pinned on the wall showing the world centred on Moscow. He politely explained that from this angle, Russia was surrounded by potential enemies - Western Europe, Turkey, Israel, China, Japan, and this rather large North American landmass just on the other side of the North Pole from us - not far away at all in global terms. Now do you see why we feel the need for very large military forces? The American general studied the map of the world as Russians see it, and agreed he could see the other point of view.

* Averted in ''MassEffect3'': the development team is stationed in Vancouver and the game begins from this city, but the final mission is set in London, and only Europe is clearly visible during the approach to Earth.