What projection preserves shape and direction but distorts area by projecting the Earth onto a tangent cylinder?

The Mercator projection is specifically designed to preserve angles and shapes, making it a conformal projection. This means that while the shape of geographical features is maintained, their sizes can be distorted, especially as one moves away from the equator. This projection is particularly useful for marine navigation because it allows for the accurate depiction of directional bearings.

The projection works by projecting the surface of the Earth onto a cylinder that touches the globe along the equator (tangent cylinder). Thus, areas near the poles appear disproportionately larger than those near the equator, leading to the significant distortion of area, while direction and shape remain relatively true.

In contrast, the other options focus primarily on preserving area or are composite projections that do not maintain these particular properties of shape and direction in the same manner as the Mercator projection. As a result, the distinctive qualities of the Mercator projection make it the correct choice in this context.