Mercator Projects Greenland

1568

Gerardus Mercator's world map using his new projection enlarged Greenland dramatically while making equatorial Africa appear small. Navigators welcomed the straight rhumb lines. Geographers grumbled about the distortion. The map argument over projection versus accuracy would continue for the next four centuries, and so would the projection. The projection preserved angles for navigation but distorted landmass sizes, making equatorial Africa appear misleadingly small for centuries of geographical education.