Question

since the 1400s - check for understanding
primary distortion commonly found in the mercator projection?
misrepresentation of the true direction between points on the map.
inaccurate representation of landmass shapes near the equator.
significant exaggeration of landmass sizes at higher latitudes (closer to the poles).
incorrect depiction of the relative distances between continents.

Explanation:

The Mercator projection preserves angles and shapes locally but distorts the size of objects as the latitude increases. Landmasses near the poles appear much larger than they actually are compared to those near the equator.

Answer:

C. Significant exaggeration of landmass sizes at higher latitudes (closer to the poles)