Mercator projection

American  

Or Mercator's projection

noun

Cartography.

1. 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.

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Mercator projection British  

/ mɜːˈkeɪtə /

noun

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

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Mercator projection Scientific  

1. 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.

2. See more at cylindrical projection

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Mercator projection Cultural  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of Mercator projection

First recorded in 1660–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Mercator projection

As you may remember from high school, most maps of the world use the Mercator projection, which features considerable distortions, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026

The Equal Earth map aims to address this problem with the Mercator projection.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

France -- which co-sponsored the resolution in support of the new map -- announced Friday that it would abandon the Mercator projection.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

But it’s not as big as it looks, flattened out, on the Mercator projection.

From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2025

Some few copies contain an exceedingly rare map, the first on the Mercator projection made in England according to the true principles laid down by Edward Wright.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7 "Gyantse" to "Hallel" by Various

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