Mercator Projection

The Mercator Projection is a way of representing the Earth's curved surface on a flat map. Created by the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, it preserves angles, making it useful for navigation because straight lines on the map correspond to constant compass directions. However, it distorts size—especially near the poles—making landmasses like Greenland appear much larger than they are relative to countries near the equator. While valuable for maritime maps, the Mercator Projection can mislead people's perception of the world's geography.