Historical Maps And Cartography Questions
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It is commonly used in navigation due to its ability to accurately represent the shape and direction of land masses. The projection preserves straight lines, which is useful for navigational purposes as it allows sailors to plot a straight course between two points on the map. Additionally, the Mercator projection greatly exaggerates the size of land masses near the poles, making it easier to navigate in high latitudes.