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Why does a mercator projection exaggerate the areas of landmasses near the poles?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
The Mercator projection exaggerates areas far from the equator because it is not suited to general reference world maps due to its distortion of land area. The Mercator projection is still commonly used for areas near the equator.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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What happens when you take a round globe and put it on a flat map?
It will roll around. To make a flat map from a round globe, a projection is used. In making the projection not all measures can be preserved and so distances will be stretched for some areas, and straight lines on the projection will correspond to curved lines on the globe. There are different projections that can be used which try to minimise the effect on different measures.
What do cartographers do with coordinate planes?
They project the surface of a sphere (the Earth) using a projection. Often the latitudes and longitudes are mapped onto the coordinate plane for small area but such projections distort shapes when mapping larger areas.
What is the 5 areas of biology?
5 areas of biology
How do you compose and decompose polygons to find there areas?
The answer depends on WHERE areas!
How do you find the ratio of areas?
You calculate the areas of two shapes and then divide one area by the other to find the ratio of their areas.
What is a disadvantage of the Mercator projection?
it distorts areas near the poles.
What is the main features of the Mercator projection?
Mercator projection represents rhumb lines, which are useful for navigation. It makes the areas near the poles appear very large.
What is the main feature of the mercator projection?
Mercator projection represents rhumb lines, which are useful for navigation. It makes the areas near the poles appear very large.
What is a disavantige of a Mercator projection?
One of the big disadvantages of a Mercator projection is that it cannot accurately project the areas around the north and south pole. A Mercator projection is not equally accurate in all directions, even away from the poles.
Does the mercator projection more accurately show the size shape or the location of the continents on a map?
Mercator projection is used on ships. It shows the correct shapes of continents but the areas are distorted. The longitude lines are parallel which makes the areas at the poles seem larger than they actually are. Hope this helps.
Does the Mercator projection show the size or the location of the continents more accurately on a map?
It's the location. 'A projection is a system for mapping the round Earth on a flat surface. The Mercator projection map shows the accurate locations of the continents and oceans. The land and water areas, however, are greatly distorted toward the North and South Poles.'
What map has very little distortion in the areas or shapes of landmasses that fall along a certain line of latitude?
a map that has very little distortion in the areas or shapes of landmasses that fall along a certain line of latitude is called a map projection.
If the continents were drawn using a Mercator projection are the chances improved of finding a fit?
It's the location. 'A projection is a system for mapping the round Earth on a flat surface. The Mercator projection map shows the accurate locations of the continents and oceans. The land and water areas, however, are greatly distorted toward the North and South Poles.'
What are different types of map projections?
Mercator Projection : longitude and latitude as straight, parallel lines Conic Projection : a circular map made from a flattened cone, centered on a pole or other point Gall-Peters Projection : relocates standard parallels, narrows longitudinal spacing Robinson Projection : approximates a true spherical view of the Earth, except the poles Winkel Tripel Projection : an azimuth approximation of the world view, similar to Robinson The most widely used is the Mercator projection, the major disadvantage being its area expansions (areas closer to the poles appear larger and lack their true shapes). The Gall-Peters Projection provides a closer approximation of the relative areas. All flat representations of a spherical surface will create variances in "true" size or shape. (see image links)
What is a mercator projecter?
A cylindrical map projection in which the meridians and parallels of latitude appear as lines crossing at right angles and in which areas appear greater farther from the equator.conic
What are the pros and con's of Mercator projection?
Mercator:Mercator projection works very poorly in polar regions and becomes undefined at the north and south poles. Historically Mercator is interesting because it is one of the oldest map projections to be used. Christopher Columbus used the Mercator projection in his travels to the new world. This projection is often used in navigation because any straight line is a rhumb line (a line of constant direction). Parallels of latitude and longitude are straight. Features increase in size as the map approaches the poles. Areas and shapes of large areas are distorted. Distortion increases away from the equator and is extreme in polar regions. However, being a conformal projection, angles and shapes within any small area are essentially true.
Is Greenland bigger than India?
No!, the picture below shows Greenland bigger than India. But this projection is wrong because its a Mercator Projection:- Mercator projection: The maps we see and use in schools are based on Mercator projection. A Mercator projection is a mathematical method of showing a map of the globe on a flat surface. This projection was developed in 1568 byGerhardus Mercator a Flemish geographer, mathematician, and cartographer.Mercator projection was made during an age when Europe dominated and exploited the world. The white dominated countries are thus portrayed to be extraordinarily large, while non white countries become extraordinarily small. It seems that the Mercator map was made to artificially portray the territorial "superiority" of the colonial powers, and psychologically impact the gullible minds of the colonised into submission. Surprisingly, even today maps in India reflect that bygone era.The United Nations in 1974, acknowledging this discrepancy (in Mercator maps), accepted a new map made by another German, Arno Peters. It is called the Peters' projection or the Peters' map. It has equal areas, and equal representation. Peters' map shows countries in their relative sizes, and is based upon Peters' decimal grid, which divides the surface of the Earth into a hundred longitudinal fields of equal width, and a hundred latitudinal fields of equal height.Really,This is correct
