When you look at a map of the world, it makes sense to assume that Greenland and Africa are similar in size. But in reality, the African continent is 14 times as big as the icy northern land mass.

Flat, two-dimensional maps can look different because the world is actually ... The Mercator map projection is used widely for navigation, but it distorts the size of countries and continents.

They have to compromise. Map makers use map projections to transform the Earth onto a flat surface. One of the most popular world map projections is known as the Mercator Projection. You’ll have ...