Earth's Orientation (?)

Why do we always present visualizations of the Earth with the Northern Hemisphere placed above the Southern, when and how did we decide it looked like this:

instead of this:

???

I considered briefly that it could be the way that the Sun affects different areas of the Earth in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles, but even if this establishes our position relative to the Sun who's to say that the Sun isn't upside down as well? . . .

Sent 4/16/09 at 10:47pm.