Final answer:
Mercator maps distort the sizes of continents and distances as latitude increases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mercator maps, which are a type of map projection, distort the sizes of continents and distances as latitude increases. This distortion occurs because Mercator projections try to maintain the same length for all latitude lines. As a result, the areas closer to the poles appear larger than they actually are. For example, in a Mercator map, the United States may appear as large as Africa, even though Africa is significantly larger in reality.