Mercator projection

or Mercator's projection

nounCartography.

a conformal projection on which any rhumb line is represented as a straight line, used chiefly in navigation, though the scale varies with latitude and areal size and the shapes of large areas are greatly distorted.

Origin of Mercator projection

First recorded in 1660–70

Words Nearby Mercator projection

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Mercator projection in a sentence

You already know something about the Mercator projection and a Mercator chart.
Lectures in Navigation | Ernest Gallaudet Draper
There may be found numerous references to the principle underlying the Mercator projection.
Terrestrial and Celestial Globes Vol I | Edward Luther Stevenson
The Arcano del Mare, 1646, was the first marine atlas in which all the maps were drawn on the Mercator projection.
Nautical Charts | G. R. Putnam
For the plotting of original surveys the Mercator projection is not suited and is not used, for the reasons above mentioned.
Nautical Charts | G. R. Putnam

British Dictionary definitions for Mercator projection

Mercator projection

/ (mɜːˈkeɪtə) /

noun

an orthomorphic map projection on which parallels and meridians form a rectangular grid, scale being exaggerated with increasing distance from the equator: Also called: Mercator's projection

Origin of Mercator projection

C17: named after G. Mercator

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Mercator projection

Mercator projection

A cylindrical projection of the Earth's surface developed by Gerhardus Mercator. As in other such projections, the areas farther from the equator appear larger, making the polar regions greatly distorted. However, the faithful representation of direction in a Mercator projection makes it ideal for navigation. See more at cylindrical projection.

Cultural definitions for Mercator projection

Mercator projection

[ (muhr-kay-tuhr) ]

A way of showing the sphere of the Earth on the flat surface of a map. Because this projection is centered on the equator, in order to maintain the correct shape of the features shown, the spacing between the parallels of latitude increases with the increasing distance from the equator. This tends to enlarge the size of those features located nearer the poles, such as Greenland or New Zealand, giving a false picture of their relative size.

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