Mercator's Map: The Flat Earth That Fooled the World

Why is Greenland the size of Africa on a world map? Thank Mercator. The Mercator projection, a map of the world created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, has been the standard for centuries. But is it accurate?
No, not at all. In fact, the Mercator projection grossly distorts the size and shape of landmasses, especially near the poles. Greenland appears larger than Africa because Mercator's map stretches the landmasses as they get farther from the equator.
Don't get me wrong, the Mercator projection was a huge step forward in cartography. It was the first map to accurately represent compass bearings, which made it invaluable for sea navigation. But it's not a true representation of the Earth's surface, and it can be misleading if you're not aware of its limitations.
So, why do we still use the Mercator projection? Tradition, mostly. It's familiar, and it's easy to use for navigation. But there are better options available, like the Robinson projection or the Mollweide projection, which show the world more accurately.
In the meantime, take a critical look at any Mercator map you see. Remember, it's not the real world. It's a distorted version of it.