Gerardus Mercator

Mapmaker / Cartographer: Gerardus Mercator

Gerardus Mercator (1512 – 1594)  was a famed Flemish geographer, cosmographer and cartographer nenowned for creating the 1569 World Map based on a new projection – the Mercator projection – which flattened the spherical planet to make it easier to display on a sheet of paper.

One of the most famous mapmakers of all time, Mercator is known as the “father of Dutch cartography” and the “Ptolemy of his time”.