Which of the following projections is known for its distortion near the poles?

The Mercator projection is known for its significant distortion near the poles primarily due to its cylindrical method of projection. Created by Gerardus Mercator in 1569, this projection maintains angles and shapes of small areas, making it useful for navigation. However, because it stretches the land masses closer to the poles drastically in size, it leads to inaccurate representations of these regions. For instance, Greenland appears much larger than it actually is relative to countries near the equator.

In contrast, the equal-area projection maintains area proportions across the map, which allows for a more accurate representation of the size of landmasses but distorts shapes. The Robinson projection seeks to provide a more visually appealing representation without focusing on a single property, resulting in moderate distortions in both area and shape. The conic projection typically preserves area and shape along certain lines but can also distort the poles depending on how it is oriented. Thus, the Mercator projection is distinctly characterized by its pole distortion, making it the correct answer.