4 ms·
I say you remember incorrectly. Some map projections (see <https://explainxkcd.com/977 https://explainxkcd.com/977> for an overview) make objects appear proport
by bmn__ 5y ago
I say you remember incorrectly. Some map projections (see <https://explainxkcd.com/977 https://explainxkcd.com/977> for an overview) make objects appear proportionally larger when we move from the equator to the poles, Greenland and Antarctica are greatly exaggerated. But this is motivated by stereometric reasons – everything on the same latitude is equally distorted – and not because the King wanted a huge Mappy McMapface.
- Eelongate 5y ago> But this is motivated by stereometric reasons – everything on the same latitude is equally distorted Expanding on this; Mercator is useful for navigation because it's conformal, i.e. it preserves angles. When you're plotting the course of a ship, this is very convenient.
- BurningFrog 5y agoAnd historically, ship navigation was the dominant reason to make maps in the first place. Only when maps were used for other purposes was there any reason to develop other projections.