Mercator's projection

8.9

A map that shows north-south and east-west lines as straight and makes polar areas look larger than they are

noun
/mɜrˈkeɪtərz prəˈdʒɛkʃən/

Specialized

: proyección de Mercator

Because of the Mercator's projection, Greenland appears much larger than it actually is.

Examples

Sailors often use maps with the Mercator's projection to plot straight-line courses across the ocean.
The world map in the classroom is based on the Mercator's projection for easy navigation.
The Mercator's projection is widely used in navigation.
Many maps use Mercator's projection for its simplicity.
Because of the Mercator's projection, Greenland appears much larger than it actually is.
Sailors often use maps with the Mercator's projection to plot straight-line courses across the ocean.
The world map in the classroom is based on the Mercator's projection for easy navigation.

Synonyms

Mercator projection

vsMercator's projection

Specialized

8.3

A map made by putting the world on a cylinder that keeps shapes but makes areas bigger near the poles

highlights straight perpendicular meridians and parallels that enlarge high-latitude areas

Surface Forms

Mercator's projection singular

Mercator's projections plural

Morphology

Mercator's + projection

A B1 learner who knows 'projection' will infer this is a type of map depiction and 'Mercator's' signals a specific named variant, so they can guess it refers to a particular map projection. However, the defining technical properties (cylindrical construction, straight meridians/parallels, and area distortion toward the poles) are specialized and cannot be derived from the constituents alone, so full meaning requires prior exposure.

Etymology

Mercator's projection comes from the idea of wrapping the globe with a paper tube and drawing the world so that travel routes become straight lines, which helps 'navigation'. That's why sailors used it, but it also makes places near the poles look much larger than they really are.