The Mercator Variant C projection is a cylindrical, conformal map projection in which meridians and parallels are straight lines that cross at 90-degree angles. Angular relationships are preserved. To preserve conformality, parallels are placed increasingly farther apart with increasing distance from the equator. This results in extreme distortion at high latitudes. Scale is true along the equator or along two parallels equidistant from the equator. Despite its drawbacks, the Mercator projection is quite useful for navigation because rhumb lines, which show constant direction, are straight. The Mercator projection is also appropriate for conformal maps of equatorial regions. The "Mercator Variant C" projection has the following parameters:
- Longitude of natural origin
- False Northing
- False Easting
- Latitude of false origin
- Latitude of 1st standard parallel