It's a geometrical technique for plotting the 3D spherical shape of the Earth onto the 2D, flat, plane surface of the map.
In most forms it imagines the map sheet is rolled into a vertical cylinder of diameter (scaled) = Earth's scaled diameter, so tangential to the globe all the way round the Equator. This means the longitudes will be accurate along the Equator, but the latitudes will be increasingly inaccurate with increasing angle North or South if plotted at equal intervals. Therefore the latitude lines are plotted at increasing spaces N & S, to correct for the error.
Now, a moment's thought will show that if the longitude lines are plotted on a circumferential pitch (linear distance) at the Equator they will be hopelessly out as the plot approaches the poles. So the longitudinal, or Equatorial, axis is plotted in angle increments: still not correct but the better option.
It is something of a fudge but projecting irregular shapes littering the surface of an oblate spheroid onto a rectangular plane can only be an exercise in minimising approximations!
The map projection that transfers points from a sphere to a cylinder is called a cylindrical projection. Examples include the Mercator and Miller cylindrical projections.
This appears to be a true statement.
The most famous example of cylindrical projection is the Mercator projection. This type of map projection distorts the size and shape of landmasses as they get closer to the poles, but it is commonly used for nautical navigation due to its ability to represent lines of constant compass bearing as straight lines.
cylindrical
Meridians on a cylindrical projection appear as straight vertical lines on the map, while meridians on a globe are smooth curves meeting at the poles. The distortion of meridians increases as you move away from the equator on a cylindrical projection, making them seem more elongated.
cylindrical projection
mercator
It is having the cone.
The map projection that transfers points from a sphere to a cylinder is called a cylindrical projection. Examples include the Mercator and Miller cylindrical projections.
mercator
This appears to be a true statement.
The most famous example of cylindrical projection is the Mercator projection. This type of map projection distorts the size and shape of landmasses as they get closer to the poles, but it is commonly used for nautical navigation due to its ability to represent lines of constant compass bearing as straight lines.
cylindrical
Google Earth uses a Simple Cylindrical projection with a WGS84 datum for its imagery base.
Meridians on a cylindrical projection appear as straight vertical lines on the map, while meridians on a globe are smooth curves meeting at the poles. The distortion of meridians increases as you move away from the equator on a cylindrical projection, making them seem more elongated.
Three projection methods used by geographers and map makers are: cylindrical conic planar.
A Mercator projection map is a cylindrical map presented on a flat surface. It was first presented to the world by Gerardus Mercator in 1569.