world mercator projection map with country outlines

World mercator projection map with country outlines software#

Two hemispheres are commonly presented side-by-side to cover the majorĪlthough these projections appear quite similar on first glance, they each Globular maps present a hemisphere of the Earth as if it were viewed as a Supplanted in the 20th century by a variety of projections depicting the earth Globular projections were once popular for wall maps, although they were Equirectangular Projected (Unprojected WGS 84) Globular Projections

World mercator projection map with country outlines software#

GIS software generally uses this as the default display for convenience. This projection should never be used in print maps as usage impliesĬarelessness or ignorance of cartographic conventions. Poles, countries are distorted in width the further you move from the equator. Longitude lines are physically closer together as you move closer to the The simplest of all projections plots latitudes and longitudesĪs if the world were a grid of evenly spaced lines. When graticule lines are not present, the distortions in the.The spacing and curvature of the graticule (latitude and longitude) lines.The distinctions between different projections in the same familyĬan be subtle, world projections can usually be identified by: For more details on these concepts and terms, see thisįor even greater (albeit chaotic) detail, seeĬarlos Furuti's Cartographical Map Projections website.Īlthough the math behind projections can be quite complex and This is a gallery of examples of notable projections usedįor mapping the world.

The three-dimensional world in two dimensions. Projection is a set of mathematical transformations used to represent Representations of the earth, such as maps, are two dimensional.

The Earth exists in three-dimensions but, other than globes, most The Earth has aĬircumference of around 24,900 miles, but is around 27 miles wider than it is tall. Mercator continued his cartography work for the rest of his life, publishing parts of his atlas until his death in 1594.The Earth is a spheroid - it is round like a ball or sphere butįlattened by slightly by the centrifugal force of rotation. He coined the term “atlas” (named after the Greek mythological figure who held the world on his shoulders) to describe a collection of maps. In addition to publishing his famous projection, Mercator was the pioneer of another geographical tool we use to this day.

Despite these distortions, Mercator’s projection is still heavily used today. Because the projection was intended to be a reference for navigation and not land geography, the landmasses on the map are not necessarily proportional to their actual size at higher latitudes, landmasses appear larger than their actual size. All the latitude and longitude lines intersected at 90-degree angles. Mercator’s projection laid out the globe as a flattened version of a cylinder. They could use latitude and longitude lines to plot a straight route. This map, with its Mercator projection, was designed to help sailors navigate around the globe. In 1569, Mercator published his epic world map. After spending a few months in prison, he was released and continued his studies. But in 1544, Mercator was arrested under suspicion of heresy the traveling he did for research had made church officials wary. He continued studying the sciences and making maps and instruments for wealthy, and sometimes high-profile, clients. These included an early version of his world map, which showed the globe as a heart-shaped projection. As his reputation grew, Mercator published several maps of places around the world. After graduating, Mercator developed his skills as an engraver, calligrapher, and geographer, and then began making globes and scientific instruments. He graduated from the University of Louvain in 1532, where he studied mathematics, geography, and astronomy. The son of a cobbler, Mercator grew up in a poor family. Mercator was born in Flanders (located in modern-day Belgium) in 1512. Mercator’s view of the world is one that has endured through the centuries and still helps navigators today. His most famous work, the Mercator projection, is a geographical chart where the spherical globe is flattened into a two-dimensional map, with latitude and longitude lines drawn in a straight grid. If you have ever seen a map of the world in a classroom or in an atlas, chances are you have seen the work of Gerardus Mercator, a 16th-century Flemish cartographer (mapmaker).