The Mercator Misconception: A New Map to Set Straight the World's Geography The United Nations' decision to adopt a new world map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, has been met with widespread applause from nations that have long felt misrepresented by the traditional Mercator projection.
For decades, this centuries old map has distorted our understanding of the world's geography, inflating northern regions and compressing equatorial ones.
The Mercator projection was not designed for global representation; its primary purpose was to aid navigation at sea. Gerardus Mercator created it in 1569, focusing on accurate depictions of landmass shapes and angles.