Understanding the Mercator Projection
The Mercator projection is a type of map projection introduced by geographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It's widely used for navigation because of its unique ability to represent lines of constant course.
Although it's great for navigation, it distorts the size of landmasses as they move away from the equator, often making countries near the poles appear larger than they actually are.
Interactive Map
Zoom in and explore the world with our interactive map below: