The Mercator Projection and Map Distortion

The Mercator projection is a way of showing the Earth's curved surface on a flat map. While it helps travelers easily navigate, it can distort the size and shape of landmasses.

For example, areas near the poles, like Greenland, appear much larger than they actually are compared to areas near the equator, like Africa. Understanding this projection helps us realize that maps can change how we see the world.