[unholiness]

> Only on Mercator projection that is younger than many of the sites on the line.

People have been specifying locations in terms of NS/EW coordinates since the greeks. Celestial navigation ensures we always have a clear idea where north is, and when two locations are at the same latitude. It's the most natural way we've understood and discussed far-away places.

I don't think it's fair to say mercator invented this projection so much as he famously published maps which used it.

(btw, I agree this line is a complete retrospective coincidence, just not with this particular argument)

[nabla9]

Just like weberer you seem to think that there is only one projection of earth into 2d map.

Mercator is special projection that was not used before him. Different projections give different distortions.