Mercator Projection Map Vs Actual Size

The most popular version is the mercator projection created by flemish cartographer gerardus mercator in 1569.

Mercator projection map vs actual size. The map above shows the distortion in sizes of countries due to the mercator projection. Focusing on a single country helps to see effect bestdataviz maps gis projectionmapping. There are various trade offs with any map style and those trade offs can vary depending on how the map is meant to be used. While its well known that the mercator projection distorts the world the maps here show very clearly by how much.

Because the mercator map distorts land size in accordance with increased distance from the equator countries like greenland russia canada and the united states look so much larger than much. Its been widely used for centuries including today in various forms by google maps. Mercators rise to the top. Map found via reddit click for larger version.

Is greenland really as big as all of africa. Pressing on the button animates the country shrinking to its actual size or growing to the size shown on the mercator projection. You may be surprised at what you find. The maps are all the work of climate data scientist atneilrkaye.

With any map projection style the big challenge lies in depicting a spherical object as a 2d graphic. There was a school wide renouncement of outdated colonialist maps and south up maps like the ones they definitely 100 use in australia were hung up across the northern hemisphere. In fact even google maps uses the mercator map. Climate data scientist and interactive mapmaker neil kaye has brilliantly animated the difference between the size of countries represented on the mercator map and the true land layout of each country.

The students applauded and all subscribed to rmapporn1 that day and accepted the peirce quincuncial projection as the coolest projection ever. Drag and drop countries around the map to compare their relative size. Countries close to the equator barely change whereas countries further north shrink dramatically. The map is thereby conformal.

The mercator projection m er k e t er is a cylindrical map projection presented by flemish geographer and cartographer gerardus mercator in 1569. To be completely honest it is a convenient map. In 1569 the great cartographer gerardus mercator created a revolutionary new map. The map most commonly used in the world is the mercator map.

A great tool for educators. This is also the map that formulates our basic ideas of what our planet looks like. 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.