The Albers Equal-Area projection is a map projection designed to represent areas accurately. It preserves the size of landmasses, making it useful for comparing the size of different regions. This projection is particularly effective for mapping large areas, such as continents or countries, where area distortion can be misleading. Developed by Hermann Heinrich Albers in the early 19th century, the projection uses two standard parallels to minimize distortion between them. This feature allows for a more accurate representation of the Earth's surface, making it a popular choice for thematic maps that focus on area-related data, such as population density or land use.