The Mercator projection has straight meridians and parallels that intersect at right angles. Scale is true at the equator or at two standard parallels equidistant from the equator. The projection is often used for marine navigation because all straight lines on the map are lines of constant azimuth. The Miller projection has straight meridians and parallels that meet at right angles, but straight lines are not of constant azimuth. Shapes and areas are distorted.
Directions are true only along the equator.
The projection avoids the scale exaggerations of the Mercator map. Miller Cylindrical Oblique Mercator Oblique Mercator projections are used to portray regions along great circles. Distances are true along a great circle defined by the tangent line formed by the sphere and the oblique cylinder, elsewhere distance, shape, and areas are distorted. Transverse Mercator Transverse Mercator projections result from projecting the sphere onto a cylinder tangent to a central meridian. Distortion of scale, distance, direction and area increase away from the central meridian.