(Originais Teachy 2023) - Question Hard of Geography

Consider Mercator projection, one of the most famous types of projection used to represent the Earth's surface on maps. This projection is known for distorting areas at high latitudes, which means that regions near the poles are exaggeratedly enlarged in relation to their actual size. Imagine a world map drawn using the Mercator projection, and an observer is analyzing the map and notices that Greenland, which is actually the 12th largest island in the world, appears larger than South America, which is the fourth largest continent. Explain how scale and projection distortions affect the perception of the size and shape of continents and islands on a map. Additionally, discuss the importance of considering these distortions when using maps in different contexts, such as maritime navigation, urban planning, and environmental analysis.