*But there is actually a reason the Mercator map (which distorts size) is so wid...

yummyfajitas on Oct 11, 2010 | parent | context | favorite | on: The True Size of Africa

But there is actually a reason the Mercator map (which distorts size) is so widely used, which isn't really mentioned in the clip.

Not a West Wing fan at all, but the reason for the Mercator projection was mentioned in the clip at about 1:10.