In 1923 J. Paul Goode combined the Mollweide (Homolographic) and the Sinusoidal to create the Homolosine to produce the homolosine equal-area projection, a pseudo cylindrical equal area map designed to present the entire world in one view. This projection merges the Mollweide projection for higher latitudes and the Sinusoidal projection for lower latitudes. The two projections join at 40 44'11.8" North and South; this is where the linear scale of the two projections match.
     The major advantage of this projection is that the continents are viewed in their proper size with respect to one another. On the other hand, direction and distance are not accurate.

     The stamp was issued to “show the global spread of the independent Commonwealth countries as of 9 July 1982, when the addition of the Maldives... increased to 47 the number of independent members. Independent members are colored yellow, with the exception of Canada which is red; other countries are green."
     However, there are a number of errors on the map. New Britain and New Ireland are shaded green for non-members of the Commonwealth, though they are members. The Republic of Nauru and Western Samoa are omitted altogether. The North Cape of New Zealand is separated from the North Island. Gibraltar is colored yellow indicating independent status which it does not have. Like Nauru and Western Samoa the Gambia is left out.

     On the New Zealand stamp the telecommunications network is shown on Goode's equal area projection, with a little bump in the south Pacific to accomodate New Zealand.

     Professor Waldo Tobler says, "The projection appears to be Professor Paul Goode's interrupted homolosine projection, or perhaps a slight modification of it."