Which projection is a cylindrical projection constructed by projecting parallels and meridians onto a cylinder and developing it?

Which projection is a cylindrical projection constructed by projecting parallels and meridians onto a cylinder and developing it?

• A. Cylindrical Projection
• B. Conical Projection
• C. Azimuthal Projection
• D. Transverse Projection

Answer: (A)

Wrapping a globe in a cylinder and projecting both the latitude lines (parallels) and the longitude lines (meridians) onto that surface, then unrolling the cylinder to a flat sheet, is the defining approach of a cylindrical projection. This method creates a rectangular grid on the map where parallels run as horizontal lines and meridians as vertical lines (depending on how it’s developed). It’s the hallmark of cylindrical projections, with well-known examples like Mercator and plate carrée, each shading distortion differently but sharing the same construction idea. The other surfaces belong to different families—projecting onto a cone for conical projections, onto a plane for azimuthal projections, or a rotated orientation in a transverse cylindrical variant—so they don’t match the cylinder-then-unfold construction described here.

Wrapping a globe in a cylinder and projecting both the latitude lines (parallels) and the longitude lines (meridians) onto that surface, then unrolling the cylinder to a flat sheet, is the defining approach of a cylindrical projection. This method creates a rectangular grid on the map where parallels run as horizontal lines and meridians as vertical lines (depending on how it’s developed). It’s the hallmark of cylindrical projections, with well-known examples like Mercator and plate carrée, each shading distortion differently but sharing the same construction idea. The other surfaces belong to different families—projecting onto a cone for conical projections, onto a plane for azimuthal projections, or a rotated orientation in a transverse cylindrical variant—so they don’t match the cylinder-then-unfold construction described here.