Explanation – The Mercator projection, created in 1569 to aid navigation, allowed sailors to follow straight rhumb lines across seas, revolutionising European exploration and colonial expansion. A rhumb line (also called a loxodrome) is a line on the Earth's surface that crosses all meridians at the same angle. It represents a constant compass direction (e.g., always going northwest at 45°). On a globe, this path is a spiraling curve toward the poles. On the Mercator map projection, rhumb lines appear as straight lines, which is why the Mercator map was so useful for sailors in the Age of Exploration. However, this convenience came at the cost of distorting scale: landmasses near the poles appear much larger, while those near the equator are shrunk. For instance, Africa (30 million sq. km) is shown as nearly the same size as Greenland, which is actually 14 times smaller. Similarly, Europe appears comparable to Africa, despite being only one-third its size. Over centuries, the Mercator map became the default in classrooms, offices, and digital platforms, reinforcing a Eurocentric view of the world. Critics argue that these distortions have subtly shaped perceptions of power and importance, diminishing Africa, South America, and Asia while inflating Europe, Russia, and North America.
Explanation – The Mercator projection, created in 1569 to aid navigation, allowed sailors to follow straight rhumb lines across seas, revolutionising European exploration and colonial expansion. A rhumb line (also called a loxodrome) is a line on the Earth's surface that crosses all meridians at the same angle. It represents a constant compass direction (e.g., always going northwest at 45°). On a globe, this path is a spiraling curve toward the poles. On the Mercator map projection, rhumb lines appear as straight lines, which is why the Mercator map was so useful for sailors in the Age of Exploration. However, this convenience came at the cost of distorting scale: landmasses near the poles appear much larger, while those near the equator are shrunk. For instance, Africa (30 million sq. km) is shown as nearly the same size as Greenland, which is actually 14 times smaller. Similarly, Europe appears comparable to Africa, despite being only one-third its size. Over centuries, the Mercator map became the default in classrooms, offices, and digital platforms, reinforcing a Eurocentric view of the world. Critics argue that these distortions have subtly shaped perceptions of power and importance, diminishing Africa, South America, and Asia while inflating Europe, Russia, and North America.
