As usual in conformal projections, Lambert's conic is better used in large-scale topographic mapping; uninterrupted world maps present too large a range of scales. It can be constructed with either one or two standard parallels; at almost every point the scale, due to conformality, is uniform at every direction, less than true between the standard parallels, greater elsewhere; only the standard parallels are free of any distortion. Conformality fails at both poles: around one, the sum of all meridian angles is less than 360°, while the other one lies at infinity.
More recently, the conformal conic has become a standard of many official mapping agencies; in the USGS, it superseded the American polyconic. It is also the base for the bipolar oblique conic, a compound of two circular sectors using oblique projections focused on the Americas; in each section, the original parallels lie roughly aligned with the continental "crescents": concave towards the Northeast in North America, to the Southwest in the South. A narrow compromise strip across Central America and the Caribbean where the components meet is nonconformal, although the two standard parallels are skillfully chosen to connect exactly. Published in 1941 and the base for several other works, the bipolar oblique conic map was developed by Osborn Miller and William Briesemeister; although released in several sheets, the relatively small scale meant only spherical equations were needed.