Conformal projections preserve angles around all locations. Because the linear scale of a Mercator map increases with latitude, it distorts the size of geographical objects far from the equator and conveys a distorted perception of the overall geometry of the planet.

In other words, a map projection systematically renders a 3D ellipsoid (or spheroid) of Earth to a 2D map surface. Because you can’t display 3D surfaces perfectly in two dimensions, distortions always occur. For example, map projections distort distance, direction, scale, and area.

This teaching of the Mercator Map is a prime example of what many know as map bias. Map bias can deeply affect the way people view the world and their inner sense of “importance.” When one sees their own country as larger, it may warp their views of the significance of other countries.

There are four basic characteristics of a map that are distorted to some degree, depending on the map projection used. These characteristics include distance, direction, shape, and area.

Something that is biased is not balanced; it results in favoritism shown to one thing over another.

The popular Mercator projection distorts the relative size of landmasses, exaggerating the size of land near the poles as compared to areas near the equator. This map shows that in reality, Brazil is almost as large as Canada, even though it appears to be much smaller on Mercator maps.

The method used to portray a part of the spherical Earth on a flat surface, whether a paper map or a computer screen, is called a map projection. No flat map can rival a globe in truly representing the surface of the entire Earth, so every flat map misrepresents the surface of the Earth in some way.

Filters. (cartography) Representing the central meridian and each parallel as a single straight line segment, but not the other meridians.

Introduction. Pseudocylindrical projections for world maps are characterized by straight hori- zontal lines for parallels of latitude and (usually) equally-spaced curved meridians of longitude. They are therefore related to cylindrical projections in which meridians are straight instead of curved.

Pseudocylindrical projections are like cylindrical projections in that their parallels are straight parallel lines. The difference is that the meridians are curved rather than straight. (They are still evenly spaced in most cases.)