Italy 718-719

     These stamps were issued to commemorate Italy's admission to the United Nations. It shows the world on a equidistant, azimuthal projection, presumably centered on Italy.
     The equidistant, azimuthal projection is neither conformal nor equal-area, but both directions and distances measured from the center are true. It was used in 1581 by Guillaume Postal, and it may have been used for star charts by the ancient Egyptians. It is also known as the Postal projection.
     Viewed through red and green lenses the image becomes three-dimensional.  (Unfortunately, I have not been able to adjust the color on this page so that the effect can be seen. You need to view the stamps themselves. I have a pair of glasses and the effect is quite interesting. (Rainbow Symphony, Inc. will provide a free pair of red/green glasses for the asking.)