Mercator projection
Cylindrical world map
The Mercator projection is a way of representing Earth's curved surface on a flat map.
It preserves accurate compass directions, making it invaluable for navigation, but distorts size—landmasses near the poles appear far larger than they actually are.
On a Mercator projection, Greenland looks as big as Africa.
Named for the 16th-century Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator.
- portolan chartsMedieval coastal navigation maps
- latitudeGeographic or personal freedom
- equatorMidpoint circle of rotation
- longitudeEast-west angular distance
- distortionTwisting from original state
conformal · world map · scale · cartography · Greenland · nautical charts · Age of Discovery · maps · meridian · great circle · straight lines · mapmaking · atlas · navigation · Europe · classroom · sailing · sea voyage
- EponymsDarwinian, Alzheimer's disease, Freudian slip, cardigan, Parkinson's disease
- German Inventionsprinting press, diesel engine, automobile, X-ray, aspirin
- navigation termsnautical charts, GPS, north, road signs, maps
- cartographymaps, world map, atlas, globes, cartographers
- mapmakingcartographer, map scales, mapmaker, compass rose, map scale
- 1500sElizabeth I, Shakespeare, Spanish Armada, Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther
flat projection vs. globe representation
Mercator projectionglobe
Spherical representation of landmasses
projecting, projection, projected, projector, projections, Mercator