A frequent query raised by new comers to QGIS (and other GIS systems) is “Why don’t my layers line up?”. This is usually followed by a long list of things they have vainly tried to make them line up, randomly changing the canvas and layer projections with no luck. This talk will discuss the basics of projections, coordinate reference systems and how this “magic” code affects the position of their data. Questions covered will include: + Why do you geographers force me to worry about this? + Why doesn’t it just work? + What is this Null Island you all keep going on about? + When should I change (override) the layer CRS? + What happens when I change the CRS of a layer and/or the canvas? + What is in this .prj file? Do I really need it? At the end of the talk new (and older) users will have more of an understanding of what projections are and how and why they need to deal with them.