Geographical Range and Earths Sphere Geometry

[DashQuickly]

@AdherentToast91

The difference in distance from point a to point b on the earth with a direct route and a great circle route is that the direct route follows a straight line on the surface of the earth, while the great circle route follows the shortest distance between two points on a sphere by tracing a circle on the surface of the earth that is perpendicular to the sphere’s axis. This means that the great circle route will generally be shorter in distance than the direct route.

You seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of what a “straight line” on a sphere is. A great circle route IS a straight line on a sphere, or as close as you can get.