What is conic projection?

A conic projection is a map that is created by projecting a portion of the earth onto a cone and virtually unrolling the cone to create a flat map. Usually, the tip of the cone is above one of the poles, and the latitude lines radiate from the tip.

Conic projections create semi-circular maps with accurate distances between meridians, but not between parallels. Locations farther from the pole or tip of the cone are less accurately mapped than locations close to the pole. An equidistant conic map keeps the distance between parallels equal and works best for mapping small countries or regions. The projection has too much distortion to produce useful maps of large portions of the earth's surface.