The African Union (AU) has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organizations of the 16th-century Mercator map of the world in favor of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.
Created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the projection distorts continent sizes, enlarging areas near the poles such as North America and Greenland, while shrinking Africa and South America.
“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi said, adding that the Mercator fostered a false impression that Africa was “marginal,” despite being the world’s second-largest continent by area, with more than 1 billion people. The AU has 55 member states.
Photo: Reuters
Such stereotypes influence media, education and policy, she said.
Criticism of the Mercator map is not new, but the “Correct The Map” campaign led by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa has revived the debate, urging organizations to adopt the 2018 Equal Earth projection, which tries to reflect countries’ true sizes.
“The current size of the map of Africa is wrong,” Africa No Filter executive director Moky Makura said. “It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, said the Mercator affected Africans’ identity and pride, especially children who might encounter it early in school.
“We’re actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all [African] classrooms,” Ndiaye said, adding she hoped it would also be the one used by global institutions, including Africa-based ones.
Haddadi said the AU endorsed the campaign, adding it aligned with its goal of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage” amid growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
The AU would advocate for wider map adoption and discuss collective actions with member states, Haddadi added.
The Mercator projection is still widely used, including by schools and tech companies. Google Maps switched from Mercator on desktop to a 3D globe view in 2018, although users can still switch back to the Mercator if they prefer.
However, on the mobile app, the Mercator projection remains the default.
Correct The Map wants organizations such as the World Bank and the UN to adopt the Equal Earth projection — an equal-area design created in 2018 to fairly represent the true size of countries.
A World Bank spokesperson said they already use the Winkel Tripel projection — a compromise design minimizing distortion, adopted by National Geographic — or Equal Earth for static maps, and are phasing out Mercator on Web site maps.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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