Mercator Projection

Definition

The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection created by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, designed to represent navigational courses as straight lines. This projection preserves angles and shapes but distorts size, particularly near the poles, making landmasses appear larger than they are, especially in high-latitude regions. Its utility in marine navigation and its widespread use in web mapping make it a prominent example of how different projections serve specific purposes.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Mercator projection was originally developed for maritime navigation, allowing sailors to plot straight-line courses with ease.
2. In this projection, areas closer to the poles are exaggerated, making Greenland appear much larger than it actually is compared to countries near the equator.
3. The scale on a Mercator map is constant, which means that angles are preserved, making it useful for navigation but misleading in terms of area representation.
4. Due to its distortion effects, the Mercator projection has been criticized for promoting Eurocentrism by making European countries appear larger relative to their actual size.
5. Despite its limitations in representing land area accurately, the Mercator projection remains popular for online maps due to its ease of use and recognizable format.

Review Questions

• How does the Mercator projection assist in navigation compared to other types of map projections?
  • The Mercator projection assists in navigation by allowing sailors to plot straight-line courses on the map. This is possible because it preserves angles, making it easier to calculate bearings and distances at sea. In contrast, other projections may distort angles or distances, complicating navigational calculations. Thus, its unique ability to maintain consistent directionality is a key advantage for marine navigation.
• Discuss the implications of area distortion in the Mercator projection and how it affects our perception of geography.
  • Area distortion in the Mercator projection can significantly affect our perception of geography by exaggerating the size of landmasses at higher latitudes. For instance, Greenland appears much larger than countries near the equator like Africa. This misrepresentation can lead to misunderstandings about political and social dynamics globally, reinforcing biases and misconceptions about the importance or size of various regions based on their visual representation.
• Evaluate the relevance of the Mercator projection in today's digital mapping applications and its impact on geographic literacy.
  • The Mercator projection remains highly relevant in today's digital mapping applications due to its ease of use and familiarity among users. Its ability to display straight-line paths accurately makes it suitable for navigation apps. However, reliance on this projection may hinder geographic literacy by perpetuating misconceptions about relative sizes and distances between countries. As people become more accustomed to using this projection without understanding its limitations, there may be a growing disconnect between actual geography and how it's presented on digital platforms.

Related terms

Cylindrical Projection: A type of map projection where the surface of the Earth is projected onto a cylinder, which is then unwrapped to create a flat map.

Geodesy: The science of measuring and understanding the Earth's geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravitational field.

Map Distortion: The unavoidable alteration that occurs when representing the three-dimensional Earth on a two-dimensional surface, affecting area, shape, distance, or direction.