Final answer:
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection that distorts shape but preserves area. It was developed by Gerardus Mercator and is often used for navigation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mercator map projection is a cylindrical projection that distorts shape but preserves area. It was developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569 and became the standard methodology for map definitions during the age of exploration. The Mercator projection displays a grid overlay of longitude and latitude lines, with all latitude lines having the same length as the equator.
One of the main distortions of the Mercator projection is the exaggeration of landmasses near the poles, making them appear much larger than they actually are. This can be seen in Figure 0.4, where Africa is shown to be much smaller compared to the United States. The Mercator projection is commonly used for navigation because it allows for straight lines representing constant courses or bearings.