Posted: June 16, 2025 | Last updated: June 16, 2025 Most of us grew up looking at world maps that dramatically distorted the actual size of countries, and we had no idea.

Some critics argue that Mercator's map, and the continued use of his style, gives a misleading impression of the actual size of many countries, particularly Africa.

ALSO SEE: MAP: The real size of the world will boggle your mind Putting a 3D planet on a two-dimensional map was a challenge for early cartographers, and Mercator designed a map that could be ...