Why do sailors prefer the Mercator projection?

Why do sailors prefer the Mercator projection?

In 1569, Mercator developed a better, more accurate projection. His new map was a revelation, because the projection kept the latitude and longitude lines at consistent 90 degree angles. These clean angles made it easier for sailors to plot their course without constantly adjusting for mapping mistakes.

Why is the Mercator projection the most popular?

One of the most famous map projections is the Mercator, created by a Flemish cartographer and geographer, Geradus Mercator in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant true direction.

Why is the Mercator projection used?

The Mercator projection was mainly used for maps. This made it possible for the entire globe to be drawn on a flat sheet. It is also used for marine navigation since the lines of constant direction appear as straight lines on the map.

What did Gerardus Mercator accomplish?

Gerardus Mercator was a Flemish cartographer, philosopher, and geographer who is best known for his creation of the Mercator map projection. On the Mercator projection parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude are drawn as straight lines so that they are useful for navigation.

How did the Mercator projection give an advantage to colonial powers?

Other critics say that this projection and the large size of continents like Europe gave an advantage to the colonial powers because it made them appear larger than they really are. This advantage eventually led to the lack of development in many equatorial regions that appear smaller on the Mercator maps.

Why is the Mercator projection problematic?

Mercator maps distort the shape and relative size of continents, particularly near the poles. The popular Mercator projection distorts the relative size of landmasses, exaggerating the size of land near the poles as compared to areas near the equator.

Does the Mercator projection more accurately show the size shape or the location of the continents?

The Mercator projection map shows the accurate locations of the continents and oceans. The land and water areas, however, are greatly distorted toward the North and South Poles.

Where does the greatest distortion in a Mercator projection occur?

As a result, the Earth’s poles and landmasses closest to them are distorted. This distortion stretches landmasses like Greenland and Europe and they appear much bigger than places that are close to the equator such as South America and Africa.

How does the Mercator projection work?

To keep longitude lines straight and maintain the 90° angle between the latitude and longitude lines, the Mercator projection uses varying distances between latitude lines away from the equator. As a result, the Earth’s poles and landmasses closest to them are distorted.

What does the Mercator projection distort?

Although the linear scale is equal in all directions around any point, thus preserving the angles and the shapes of small objects, the Mercator projection distorts the size of objects as the latitude increases from the equator to the poles, where the scale becomes infinite. …

Why did Peters object to the Mercator projection?

The Gall-Peters projection (shown below) makes seeing the relative size of places much easier. Therefore, Peters argued, the Mercator projection shows a euro-centric bias and harms the world’s perception of developing countries.

What are the pros and cons of the Mercator projection?

Advantage: The Mercator map projection shows the correct shapes of the continents and directions accurately. Disadvantage: The Mercator map projection does not show true distances or sizes of continents, especially near the north and south poles.

Why was Mercator’s map so useful to sailors?

If you have a beef with what your social studies teacher hung over the blackboard, better chalk it up to inertia. Mercator never meant for his map to teach geography. Mercator’s map was so useful to sailors that its popularity eventually caught on with landlubbers. Today, it’s still the most often used map projection in the world.

What was the purpose of the Mercator projection?

This map, with its Mercator projection, was designed to help sailors navigate around the globe. They could use latitude and longitude lines to plot a straight route. Mercator’s projection laid out the globe as a flattened version of a cylinder.

Which is the best Mercator projection for polar regions?

A particular “transverse Mercator” projection called the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) is probably the most recommended one from latitudes 84°N to 80°S (Fig. 7.26A). For polar regions for latitudes North of 84°N, and South of 80°S, the Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) is widely used (Fig. 7.26B).

Why did Gerardus Mercator create the epic world map?

In 1569, Mercator published his epic world map. This map, with its Mercator projection, was designed to help sailors navigate around the globe. They could use latitude and longitude lines to plot a straight route.