that could be printed onto paper and used for sea navigation, which was critical for the economic development of the time. For the lack of a better technique, Mercator simply “projected” the spherical onto a cylindrical surface.
Mercator map projection still found in classrooms today
The Mercator map projection
The Mercator map, which is still widely distributed today, shows similar distortions. In fact, none of the continents are displayed in the correct size and proportion. Greenland shows bigger than Australia, whereas in reality the contrary is the case: Australia is significantly bigger.
Buckminster Fuller Map puzzle designed by Formula D interactive and Infestation for Cape Town World Design Capital 2014