Description: A sketch-map from 1891 showing the world on a MercatorÕs Projection. "MercatorÕs Projection represents the earth on a map in which all the parallels and meridians are straight lines. MercatorÕs charts are drawn by conceiving the earth to have a shape of a cylinder instead of that of a sphere, and to be unrolled from this cylinder so as to form a flat surface. The meridians, instead of meeting in points at the north and south poles, are drawn parallel to each other. This makes them as far apart in the polar regions as at the equator, and consequently any portion of the earthÕs surface represented on such a chart, if situated toward the poles, will be disproportionately large. In order to avoid the distortion in the shape of the land and water areas, the distance between successive parallels is increased as they approach the poles. The dimensions of the land or water, however, are greatly exaggerated in these regions. The immediate polar regions are never represented on such charts, the poles being supposed to be at an infinite distance. MercatorÕs charts are generally employed for physical maps, on account of the facility they afford for showing direction. The distortion they produce in the relative size of land or water areas must be carefully borne in mind, or wrong ideas of the relative size of various parts of the world will be obtained. MercatorÕs charts make bodies of land and water situated near the poles appear much larger than they really are." — Houston, 1891, pp. 15-16.
Place Names: A Complete Map of Globes and Multi-continent, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South Americ
ISO Topic Categories: location
Keywords: The Earth on Mercator's Projection, Earth,
location, Mercator, 1891
Source: Edwin J. Houston, A. M. , The Elements of Physical Geography (Philadelphia, PA: Eldredge & Brother, 1891) 16
Map Credit: Courtesy the private collection of Roy Winkelman |
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