By: Manoah Kikekon
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| African Map 1644 |
The African Union (AU) is leading a bold push to replace the outdated Mercator world map a 16th-century relic that distorts Africa’s true size with a more accurate alternative. The move aims to reshape global perceptions and challenge centuries of misrepresentation.
Created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the Mercator projection inflates landmasses near the poles (like North America and Europe) while shrinking Africa and South America. Despite being the world’s second-largest continent, Africa often appears smaller than it really is feeding stereotypes of marginalization.
"It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not," said Selma Malika Haddadi, AU Commission deputy chairperson. "The Mercator fosters a false impression that Africa is small and insignificant, when in fact it’s home to 54 nations and over a billion people."
Advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa are spearheading the campaign, urging governments and global institutions to adopt the Equal Earth projection a 2018 map that accurately represents country sizes.
"The current size of the map of Africa is wrong," said Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter. "It's the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop."
The distorted Mercator map doesn’t just mislead it impacts self-perception, especially among African children.
"We're promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the standard in all African classrooms," said Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa. The group also hopes global institutions including those based in Africa will make the switch.
The AU has officially endorsed the campaign, aligning with its broader mission to reclaim Africa’s rightful place on the global stage. This comes amid growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
"We will advocate for wider adoption of accurate maps and discuss collective actions with member states," Haddadi added.
While Google Maps switched to a 3D globe view in 2018 (allowing users to toggle back to Mercator), the mobile app still defaults to the distorted version.
The campaign is now targeting major organizations like the World Bank and United Nations to adopt Equal Earth. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed they are phasing out Mercator in favor of Winkel-Tripel or Equal Earth for static maps.
The UN geospatial body (UN-GGIM) has yet to respond, as any change requires expert committee approval.
(REUTERS)