Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. World maps distort size and shape by design. Learn why projections matter and how they shape global understanding. (CREDIT: ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Mercator map, created ...

For over five centuries, a single version of the world map has shaped our perception of geography. The Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, was originally ...

The world map is a familiar sight on classroom walls and in atlases, but you might be surprised to learn that it’s not an accurate representation of the Earth. In fact, in terms of country and ...

To celebrate his 503rd birthday, Flemish mathematician and cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who in 1569 discovered how to create a flat map that takes into consideration the curvatures of the earth, ...

Developed in the sixteenth century by Gerardus Mercator, this projection was created for sailors who navigated using a compass. Because the Mercator projection allows map users to draw a straight line ...