The African Union (AU) has officially thrown its support behind a campaign to replace the 16th-century Mercator map, a staple in classrooms and global institutions for centuries, in favor of projections that more accurately display Africa’s size.
This move is part of a broader push to challenge historical biases and promote a more equitable representation of the world, as many see the map as a tool for colonialism.
“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” AU Commission deputy chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters. “The Mercator fostered a false impression that Africa was ‘marginal,’ despite being the world’s second-largest continent by area, with 54 nations and over a billion people.”
The Mercator projection, while revolutionary for 16th-century sailors, severely distorts the size of landmasses near the poles, making countries like Greenland and Russia appear disproportionately large. This distortion minimizes the visual presence of Africa, a continent that is 14 times larger than Greenland.
The campaign, titled “Correct The Map,” is led by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa. It promotes the Equal Earth projection, a 2018 map that correctly represents the relative sizes of all continents.
“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.”
AU’s endorsement aligns with its goal of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage,” as Haddadi noted. The union will now advocate for wider adoption of more accurate maps and plans to promote the Equal Earth projection as the standard in African classrooms and global institutions.
