A new chart of the world: on Wright's or Mercator's projection, in which are exhibited all the parts hitherto explored or discovered with the tracks of the British circumnavigators Byron, Wallis, ...

, publisher

1794–1858

A new chart of the world: on Wright's or Mercator's projection, in which are exhibited all the parts hitherto explored or discovered with the tracks of the British circumnavigators Byron, Wallis, ..., 1794

Where object was made: London, England, United Kingdom

Material/technique: engraving; hand coloring

Credit line: Department of Special Collections, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, Orbis Maps 1:24

Accession number: EL2025.071

On display: Simons Gallery

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Soundings: Making Culture at Sea

A projection is a series of calculations that translates the curving three-dimensional shape of the globe onto the flat surface of a paper map. Developed by the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, this particular projection was meant to assist maritime navigation. For this reason, it turns the arcing lines crossing meridians into straight lines. As a result, the relative sizes of landmasses in relation to each other are distorted, providing a skewed vision of the world.

Exhibition Label:
"Climate Change at the Poles," Jan-2009, Kate Meyer, Jennifer Talbott, and Angela Watts
The many routes shown on this map indicate the dominance of the British Royal Navy that began in the 1700s, which was accompanied by technological innovations in cartographic calculation. While latitude is relatively easy to calculate based on the position of the sun or charted stars, the calculation of longitude requires accurate knowledge of the time at a fixed reference point and at the location of the observer. The Royal Observatory at Greenwich served as the fixed reference for British explorers, who were aided by advancements in marine timepieces. Other nations also utilized these British calculations, a cultural influence which eventually culminated in the adoption of Greenwich as the Prime Meridian and International Date Line.