5) money, black-mail and control
Honest map-making is an odd business because it is impossible for an honest map-maker to survive for the glaringly obvious reason: NOBODY CAN CLAIM ORIGINAL OWNERSHIP OF A TRUE MAP. Map-makers struggled to keep their maps under controlled eyes lest their maps be copied. There were no copyright offices at the time and even if there were, what difference, at that point, would it make? A copy-cat could just claim that he made the same observations.
How did map-makers get around this challenge? They deliberately inserted falsehoods in their maps. The preponderance of false maps only makes sense if you look at human behavior.
THERE IS NO REASON FOR ANYBODY other than God, His Son and or His prophets TO DISCLOSE THE TRUE MAP OF THE EARTH. There is every reason to keep it hidden.
Monarchs do not want anybody to know how to reach their kingdoms.
Conversely, outlaws do not want any kings to reach their bugouts.
The false globe map satisfies all interests because it makes it virtually impossible for an ignorant invader/army to travel.
What better protection for a king's kingdom than to have all gullible pirates attempt to sail across the pacific ocean or sneak around the south "pole" or any other attempt to make a short-cut based on a false globe map?
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It makes perfect sense for multiple competing statesmen to keep the true form of the earth secret. If I had to write a Hollyweird space movie, it would involve Russian/Chinese actronoughts laughing all the way to the bank.
Chinese pool-boy to Rusky cosmonaut : "
Every year, we call up NASA jokers and tell them to send us more money! They beg me to make more stupid videos for them to keep their jokes alive. I do not complain."
Rusky cosmonaut to Chinese pool-boy: "
Ha! Ha! You work too hard! We stopped that charade long ago. Now, we tell them to stick their costumes up their arses and just send us the money. I put video on Youtube and they scramble to take it down. I scramble faster and faster and faster until they send me more money."