The Mercator projection, a cylindrical map introduced by Geradus Mercator in 1569, distorts the true size of countries on maps, ... An even more extreme example would be Antarctica.

Because the Earth is roughly spherical, every flat map distorts our planet one way or another. The most popular version is the Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus ...

Like symphonies, map projections are named after their makers. Gerardus Mercator was an engraver and globe-maker in 1500s Flanders. Until he came along, most cartographers were using Ptolemy’s ...

The world map is familiar sight on classroom walls and in atlases, but in terms of country and continent size, it’s way off – and all because of a 16th-century projection.

Colton's 1852 map of the world uses the Mercator projection, cutting off the highly distorted poles. Printed for J & H Miller, Columbus, Ohio. Credit: Wikimedia Commons ...

When this world map was charted in the 1600s, according to the Mercator’s projection, the idea was that ships could use the lines of longitude and latitude as a form of navigation. 5 ...

OUR map of the world hasn’t changed much in centuries. It seems to be set in stone. The thing is, it’s not accurate. When this world map was charted in the 1600s according to the Mercator’s ...

Most maps we see in our everyday lives are based on the Mercator projection, which was created in the 1500s. U.S. ... Antarctica appears as the biggest continent, ...

Drew Roos's Mercator Extreme shows how wonderful and how nuts its distortions can get. — Read the rest The post Mercator Extreme explores map projection's wildest distortions appeared first on ...