Chart Of The World On Mercator's Projection
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection that was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is the most common form of world map that you see in classrooms, textbooks, and other educational materials. The Mercator projection is a conformal map projection, meaning that it preserves angles and shapes but distorts distances and areas.
What is a projection?
A map projection is a way of representing the curved surface of the earth on a flat piece of paper or computer screen. Because the earth is a sphere, it is impossible to create a completely accurate flat map. Map projections are a compromise between accuracy, shape, distance, and direction.
How does the Mercator projection work?
The Mercator projection works by projecting the earth's surface onto a cylinder that is tangent to the equator. The cylinder is then unrolled into a flat map. The result is a map that accurately shows the shape of landmasses and preserves angles and directions. However, because the cylinder is tangent to the equator, the distortion increases as you move away from the equator. This means that areas near the poles are greatly exaggerated in size.
Why is the Mercator projection so popular?
The Mercator projection became popular because it was the first map projection that could be used for navigation. Sailors could use the map to plot a straight line between two points, and the line would represent the shortest distance between the two points on the earth's surface. The Mercator projection also became popular because it showed European countries as larger than they actually are, which was seen as a symbol of European power and dominance.
What are the drawbacks of the Mercator projection?
The Mercator projection has several drawbacks. The most significant drawback is the distortion of size and shape as you move away from the equator. This means that countries near the poles are greatly exaggerated in size, while countries near the equator are smaller than they actually are. Another drawback is that the Mercator projection does not accurately represent the true distance between two points. This means that the size of the world's oceans is greatly exaggerated, which can lead to misunderstandings about the true size of different countries.
What are some alternative map projections?
There are many alternative map projections that attempt to minimize distortion while still preserving some of the advantages of the Mercator projection. One example is the equal-area projection, which attempts to preserve the size of different countries while sacrificing some accuracy in shape and direction. Another example is the Robinson projection, which attempts to balance shape, size, and distance while minimizing distortion.
Conclusion
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection that was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is the most common form of world map that you see in classrooms, textbooks, and other educational materials. While the Mercator projection has some advantages, it also has significant distortions that can lead to misunderstandings about the size and shape of different countries. There are many alternative map projections that attempt to minimize distortion while still preserving some of the advantages of the Mercator projection.
