Definition
The cylinder is rotated so it touches a chosen central meridian rather than the equator, giving minimal distortion in a north-south strip a few degrees wide. It underpins the Universal Transverse Mercator grid and national systems such as the Ordnance Survey National Grid, and it is used for large scale harbour and coastal charts in higher latitudes where standard Mercator scale distortion would be objectionable. Rhumb lines are no longer straight, but over a single sheet the difference is negligible.
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