[[File:Rectangular polyconic projection SW.jpg|300px|thumb|Rectangular polyconic projection of the world, with correct scale along the equator.]]
The '''rectangular polyconic''' projection is a [[map projection]] developedwas first mentioned in 1853 by the mid[[U.S. 1800sCoast andSurvey]], usedwhere init largewas scaledeveloped Britishand militaryused mappingfor portions of the periodU.S. exceeding about one square degree. It belongs to the [[polyconic projection class]], which consists of map projections whose parallels are non-concentric circular arcs except for the equator, which is straight. Sometimes the rectangular polyconic is called the '''War Office''' projection due to its development and use by the British [[War Office]] for topographic maps.<ref name = "Flattening">
{{ cite book
| title = Flattening the Earth: Two Thousand Years of Map Projections
