Mercator projection, type of map projection introduced in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator. … This projection is widely used for
navigation charts
, because any straight line on a Mercator projection map is a line of constant true bearing that enables a navigator to plot a straight-line course.
What does the Mercator map distort?
The popular Mercator projection distorts
the relative size of landmasses
, exaggerating the size of land near the poles as compared to areas near the equator.
Does Mercator show direction?
It became the standard map projection for navigation because it is unique in
representing north as up and south as down everywhere
while preserving local directions and shapes. … As a side effect, the Mercator projection inflates the size of objects away from the equator.
Why does the Mercator projection preserve direction?
Although the linear scale is equal in all directions around any point, thus preserving the angles and the shapes of small objects, the Mercator projection
distorts the size of objects
as the latitude increases from the equator to the poles, where the scale becomes infinite.
What are the uses of Mercator projection?
This projection is widely used for
navigation charts
, because any straight line on a Mercator projection map is a line of constant true bearing that enables a navigator to plot a straight-line course.
What is wrong with the Robinson projection?
Distortion. The Robinson projection is neither conformal nor equal-area. It
generally distorts shapes, areas, distances, directions, and angles
. … Area distortion grows with latitude and does not change with longitude.
Is the map really upside down?
The simple answer to the question was this:
It isn’t upside-down at all
. In a flip of convention, my giant, framed world map displays the southern hemisphere — Australia included — at the top. It’s a twist, but not strictly speaking a distortion.
What is the most accurate map projection?
AuthaGraph
. This is hands-down the most accurate map projection in existence. In fact, AuthaGraph World Map is so proportionally perfect, it magically folds it into a three-dimensional globe. Japanese architect Hajime Narukawa invented this projection in 1999 by equally dividing a spherical surface into 96 triangles.
What four distortions are there in the Robinson projection?
There are four main types of distortion that come from map projections:
distance, direction, shape and area
.
What is the major weakness of the Mercator projection?
Disadvantages: Mercator projection
distorts the size of objects as the latitude increases from the Equator to the poles, where the scale becomes infinite
. So, for example, Greenland and Antarctica appear much larger relative to land masses near the equator than they actually are.
What are the 4 types of map projections?
| Rank Map Projection Name Examples | 1 Cylindrical Mercator, Cassini, Equirectangular | 2 Pseudocylindrical Mollweide, Sinusoidal, Robinson | 3 Conic Lambert conformal conic, Albers conic | 4 Pseudoconical Bonne, Bottomley, Werner, American polyconic |
|---|
Is Greenland bigger than USA?
Greenland is approximately 2,166,086 sq km, while United States is approximately 9,833,517 sq km, making United States 354% larger than Greenland. … This to-scale map shows a size comparison of Greenland compared to United States.
What is the difference between Mercator and Gnomonic projections?
Mercator projection maps are used in navigation due to their ability to label any point on the globe. The gnomonic projection projects
points from a globe onto a piece of paper that touches
the globe at a single point.
Why is Robinson better than Mercator?
Unlike the Mercator projection, the Robinson projection
What are the pros and cons of a Robinson projection?
Advantage: The Robinson map projection
shows most distances, sizes and shapes accurately
. Disadvantage: The Robinson map does have some distortion around the poles and edges. Who uses it? The Robinson is most commonly used by students, teachers, textbooks and atlases.
Where is the Robinson projection most accurate?
Although the Robinson projection is not conformal, the shapes that you can find
within about 45° either north or south of the equator
are generally represented with accuracy.
