Ancient Mercator's map of the World, Orbis terrae compendiosa descriptio, 1569

Rumold Mercator was a 16th-century Flemish cartographer known for his contributions to the field of mapmaking. One of his notable works is the "Orbis terrae compendiosa descriptio" or the "World map."

The World map by Rumold Mercator, also referred to as the Mercator map, was published in 1569. It was one of the earliest examples of a world map that used the Mercator projection, a cylindrical map projection that preserves straight lines of constant course, thus making it useful for navigation.

Mercator's map depicted the entire known world at that time, including the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The map provided a more accurate representation of the landmasses and coastlines compared to previous maps. It also introduced several innovations in cartography, such as the depiction of rhumb lines, which are lines of constant compass bearing used for navigation.

One notable aspect of Mercator's map was its emphasis on European territories. Europe appeared larger in proportion to other continents, reflecting the Eurocentric view prevalent during that era. This distortion in size was a consequence of the Mercator projection, which magnifies areas as they move away from the equator.

Despite its distortions, the Mercator map became widely popular due to its usefulness for navigation. The map's conformality and ability to represent rhumb lines accurately made it an essential tool for sailors and explorers during the Age of Discovery.

The Mercator projection continues to be used in various applications, such as nautical charts, because of its navigational advantages. However, it is important to note that the Mercator projection exaggerates the sizes of landmasses at high latitudes, contributing to a distorted perception of the true size of countries and continents. This issue has led to criticism and the development of alternative map projections that prioritize equal area representations, such as the Robinson projection or the Winkel Tripel projection.

In summary, the "Orbis terrae compendiosa descriptio" or World map by Rumold Mercator was a significant contribution to cartography, introducing the Mercator projection and providing an invaluable tool for navigation during the 16th century.