Mercator
Cylindrical map style
Mercator refers to a map projection developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, designed for navigation.
The projection shows the globe on a flat surface with parallel lines of latitude and longitude, which distorts size—making landmasses near the poles appear much larger than they are: Greenland looks enormous on a Mercator map.
Despite its distortions, the projection remains standard for nautical charts because any straight line represents a constant compass bearing.
Something that extends outward
- mapSpatial representation of terrain
- cylindricalCircular in cross-section
- navigationDetermining position and course
- atlasBound collection of charts
conformal · chart · distortion · latitude · longitude · equator · parallel · meridian
Belgian Dutch variant
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
- geographerEarth and place scholar
- Low CountriesThree small European nations
- 16th centuryThe 1500s
engraver · instrument maker · globe · Habsburg · Louvain · mathematician · scholar · calligrapher
Bias toward Western perspectives
- distortionTwisting from original state
- GreenlandLargest island on Earth
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
- colonialOf occupied territories
bias · Peters · decolonization · representation · inequality · Global South · polar regions · controversy
projection
Something that extends outward
- mapSpatial representation of terrain
- cylindricalCircular in cross-section
- navigationDetermining position and course
atlas · conformal · chart · distortion · latitude · longitude · equator · parallel · meridian · cartographer
Flemish
Belgian Dutch variant
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
- geographerEarth and place scholar
- Low CountriesThree small European nations
16th century · engraver · instrument maker · globe · Habsburg · Louvain · mathematician · scholar · calligrapher · surveyor
Eurocentrism
Bias toward Western perspectives
- distortionTwisting from original state
- GreenlandLargest island on Earth
- AfricaSecond-largest continent
colonial · bias · Peters · decolonization · representation · inequality · Global South · polar regions · controversy · imperialism
- CartographersPtolemy
- Medieval Mapmakers
- Maritime ExplorationColumbus, Magellan, voyage, navigator, Age of Discovery
- Map Termslatitude, longitude, equator, meridian, prime meridian
- projectionsmap projection, 3D projection, film projection, azimuthal, orthographic
- mapmakingcartographer, map scales, mapmaker, map projection, compass rose
- Mercator projectionCylindrical map distorting poles
market, commerce, merchant, merchandise, mercantile, cartography