Final answer:
The two true statements about the Mercator projection are that it was developed primarily as a navigational tool and it exaggerates the sizes of countries near the poles. It uses a cylindrical projection method, not a planar one, and shows lines of longitude as parallel, which is a distortion of their true spacing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mercator projection has specific characteristics that serve various purposes. Firstly, it was developed primarily as a navigational tool for sailing, which allowed sailors to plot straight-line courses on the map, a feature that was revolutionary during the time of its creation by Gerardus Mercator in 1569. Secondly, the projection is well-known for how it exaggerates the size of countries near the poles. This is because Mercator maps show a grid overlay where lines of latitude are stretched to match the scale of the equator, causing significant size distortion for land masses as they approach the poles.
Contrary to the suggestions in the question, the lines of longitude on a Mercator projection are depicted as parallel, maintaining constant distances from each other, which is not a true representation of their actual spacing on the globe. Also, the Mercator projection is not an example of a planar projection but rather a cylindrical projection where a cylinder is imagined to wrap around the globe, and points on the earth's surface are projected onto the cylinder.