Final answer:
The political map projection is not one of the 4 main types of map projections, which include conic, cylindrical, and planar projections. Political maps, which show governmental boundaries and major cities, do not describe a method of projecting the earth's surface onto a flat surface. The correct answer is option c) Planar
Step-by-step explanation:
The political map projection is not one of the 4 main types of map projections. The main types of map projections include conic, cylindrical, and planar. A political map is actually a type of thematic map that shows governmental boundaries of countries, states, and counties, indicating the location of major cities and significant bodies of water. It does not describe a method of projecting the earth's surface onto a flat map, which is what a map projection does.
The conic projection involves projecting map information onto a cone placed over part of the globe, usually used for mapping smaller areas, not the entire world. The cylindrical projection, with the Mercator projection being the most famous example, projects the earth onto a cylinder, which is then unwrapped into a flat map. Planar projections, also known as azimuthal projections, project map information onto a flat surface that touches the globe at a single point, typically used for polar regions.
Therefore, when considering the fourth option among conic, cylindrical, planar, and political, the political category does not align with the nature of map projections dealing with the representation of the earth's curved surface on a flat medium.