Historical Figures

Describe the differences between a Mercator projection and gnomonic projection?

Mercator projection:

* Cylindrical projection

* Developed by Gerardus Mercator in 1569

* Preserves correct shapes of land masses

* Distorts the size of land masses, making them appear larger near the poles

* Used for navigation because it shows straight lines as great circles

Gnomonic projection:

* Azimuthal projection

* Developed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD

* Preserves correct directions from a single point (usually the center of the map)

* Distorts the shapes and sizes of land masses, making them appear more exaggerated near the edges of the map

* Used for creating perspective views of the Earth, such as those seen from space