What does a Mercator map accurately show?
In the end, 10 main stressors were used to create this map:
- Built-Up Areas: All of our cities and towns
- Agriculture: Areas devoted to crops and pastures
- Energy and extractive resources: Primarily locations where oil and gas are extracted
- Mines and quarries: Other ground-based natural resource extraction, excluding oil and gas
- Power plants: Areas where energy is produced – both renewable and non-renewable
Is the Mercator the most popular map projection?
Which is the best map projection?
- Mercator. The most popular map projection in the world has been around for 448 years now. ...
- Gall-Peters. The biggest criticism for the skewed Mercator projection came in 1973 from German filmmaker and journalist Arno Peters.
- Robinson. American geographer and cartographer Arthur H. ...
- Winkel-Tripel. ...
- AuthaGraph. ...
How do you describe a Mercator map projection?
To define or change the projection of the dataframe:
- Right-click in the map and select Properties > Coordinate System.
- Select the Coordinate System tab.
- Choose a coordinate system from the tree or click the Import button and browse to a data source that is defined with the coordinate system you want to use.
What issues are there with the Mercator map projection?
Mercator’s map inadvertently pumps up the sizes of Europe and North America. Why are map projections not accurate? The Mercator distorts size to preserve shape. For a more accurate view of land area look at the Gall-Peters projection, which preserves area while distorting shape. The Gall-Peters projection. In the end, there’s not “right ...
Where is the Mercator projection located?
To realize Mercator projection the light source must be located in Ecuador, on the side opposite the point of contact between the globe and the paper.
What are some examples of mercator projection?
Examples of Mercator projection. One of the best examples of Mercator projection is Google Maps. This is a global positioning software developed in 2005. Bing Maps and OpenStreetMaps are other of the cartography web services that use the projection of Mercator.
Why are polar zones not represented in cartographic projection?
2- Polar zones are not represented. Because the projection of Mercator is based on a cylinder, it is difficult to represent the polar zones of the planet Earth. For this reason, the poles are not included in this type of cartographic projection.
What did Mercator do to correct distortion?
In addition to creating a projection, Mercator published a geometric formula that corrected the distortion presented on its map. These calculations enabled seafarers to transform projection measurements into degrees of latitude by facilitating navigation.
Why is cartographic projection criticized?
This cartographic projection has been heavily criticized for the fact that it distorts forms as it approaches the poles making the land masses look larger than they actually are.
Why does a square building look rectangular?
Other projections can make a square building look rectangular, because the distortion exists in only one direction. On the other hand, because it is proportional, the distortion generated by Mercator does not make the objects appear more elongated or flattened, but simply larger.
What is the property of a mercator?
The projection of Mercator has the property of representing the angles as they are. If in the real plane there is an angle of 90 ° the projection will show an angle of the same amplitude. This is another reason why Google Maps and other similar applications prefer Mercator before other projections.
What is a mercator projection?
The Mercator projection is a transformation of a cylindrical projection used for navigation. When the Portuguese, under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator, ventured farther south along the west coast of Africa, they encountered...
Why is a straight line on a mercator projection map important?
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. It is less practical for world maps, however, because the scale is distorted; areas farther away from the Equator appear disproportionately large.
When was the Mercator projection invented?
Mercator projection, type of map projection introduced in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator. It is often described as a cylindrical projection, but it must be derived mathematically.
What is an encyclopedia editor?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. ...
Is Greenland larger than South America?
On a Mercator projection, for example, the landmass of Greenland appears to be greater than that of the continent of South America; in actual area, Greenland is smaller than the Arabian Peninsula. The Mercator projection is a transformation of a cylindrical projection used for navigation.
Why is the Mercator projection used in navigation?
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. The map is thereby conformal. As a side effect, the Mercator projection inflates the size of objects away from the equator.
How is the Mercator projection determined?
The Mercator projection is determined by the requirement that the projection be conformal. One implication of this is the "isotropy of scale factors", which means that the point scale factor is independent of direction, so that small shapes are preserved by the projection. This implies that the vertical scale factor, h, equals the horizontal scale factor, k. Since k = sec φ, so must h .
What is a mercator projection?
The Mercator projection maps all lines with constant bearing ( rhumbs (mathematically known as loxodromes—those making constant angles with the meridians) to straight lines. The two properties, conformality and straight rhumb lines, make this projection uniquely suited to marine navigation: courses and bearings are measured using wind roses or protractors, and the corresponding directions are easily transferred from point to point, on the map, with the help of a parallel ruler (for example).
Why did Mercator use sinusoidal projection?
Because of great land area distortions, some consider the projection unsuitable for general world maps. Therefore, Mercator himself used the equal-area sinusoidal projection to show relative areas. However, despite such distortions, the Mercator projection was, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, perhaps the most common projection used in world maps, despite being much criticized for this use.
Which projection exaggerates areas far from the equator?
The Mercator projection exaggerates areas far from the equator .
Why is a marine chart based on a mercator?
Practically every marine chart in print is based on the Mercator projection due to its uniquely favorable properties for navigation . It is also commonly used by street map services hosted on the Internet, due to its uniquely favorable properties for local-area maps computed on demand. Mercator projections were also important in the mathematical development of plate tectonics in the 1960s.
What was Arno Peters's projection?
The projection he promoted is a specific parameterization of the cylindrical equal-area projection. In response, a 1989 resolution by seven North American geographical groups disparaged using cylindrical projections for general-purpose world maps, which would include both the Mercator and the Gall–Peters.
Why is the Mercator projection not a good viewing map?
It can be scaled by using a specially designed scale. However, it is not a good viewing map because of its extreme distortions of sizes of landmasses, nations and waters.
What are the benefits of a cylindrical mercator projection?
One big benefit for, Cylindrical,conformal, Mercator projection that it preserves angle and shape (esp. of small areas i. e. local shapes),it is more accurate along the equatorial areas and accuracy deteriorates (inflates shapes) off to the equator. For more details you can have a look-
Why use a mercator?
The Mercator projection preserves angles locally - which is a very important aspect for navigation. If you plot out a course on a constant bearing on a Mercator projection, it conveniently comes out as a straight line. During the age of exploration, something like this was a big deal so projections like the Mercator became the standard. Google probably continues to use it because it has been the standard for so long, it’s what most people are familiar with.
Why is our current world map, the Mercator Map, not to scale?
Why is our current world map, the Mercator Map, not to scale? It represents the US as gigantic is a reference to South America and Africa. In reality, both of continents dwarf the US in size.
How to see distortion?
A way to see distortion are Tissot indices which show how size, shape, bearing and the rest of the distortions shape the map. Here’s is Mercator:
How did the British get their borders?
But how did these borders come to be? They are the result of treaties with local rulers and random land grabbing by the British. Also some parts were taken for strategic reasons, for example the border with Afghanistan or the coastline.
Is Gall Peters projection bad?
The Gall Peters is possibly almost as bad as the Mercator projection. It keeps area true to life but at the cost of shape, distance, and most other factors which means while the size is correct the continents do not have that shape you see if you look at a globe, the only distortion free projection.
How can geographers help economists make decisions?
24. Geographers can help economists make decisions by providing information on
What are the limitations of geospatial technology?
One limitation of geospatial technology is that it cannot provide information about
What subjects did geographers use?
27. Though modern geographers use information from economics, sociology, history, and many other school subjects, before modern computers, geographers most heavily relied on skills in
Can different maps accurately show the same place with different maps?
20. Different maps can accurately show the same place with different
Do geographers gain information through observation?
In addition to direct observation geographers must gain information through