Final answer:
The term describing accurate shape preservation on maps when using latitude and longitude lines is A) Conformal projection. It ensures that the local angles and thus shapes remain accurate, but it does not maintain proper size or distance. The Mercator projection is a type of conformal projection known for its navigational uses.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that describes the maintenance of accurate shapes for areas and places on the Earth when using latitude and longitude lines is A) Conformal projection. The conformal projection preserves the local angles around a point, which essentially means that the shape of small areas and countries on the map will stay true to their actual geometric forms. However, this type of projection does not necessarily maintain accurate sizes or distances.
The Mercator projection, which was developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, is an example of a cylindrical conformal projection. It projects the world onto a cylinder in such a way that all the latitude lines have the same length as the equator. While this projection allows for straightforward navigation using constant compass bearings, it distorts sizes of countries and continents, particularly as they get further from the equator, making areas like Greenland and Antarctica appear much larger than they are in reality.