African Union Urges Adoption of World Map Reflecting Continent's True Size

The African Union (AU) has officially backed a campaign to stop governments and international organizations from using the 16th-century Mercator map. Instead, the AU is advocating for a map that more accurately represents Africa's true size. This move is in support of the "Correct The Map" campaign, led by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa.

The Problem with the Mercator Map

The Mercator projection, originally created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation purposes, distorts the sizes of continents. It significantly inflates the size of landmasses near the poles, such as North America and Greenland, while drastically shrinking the perceived size of continents near the equator, including Africa and South America.

In an interview with Reuters, AU Commission deputy chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi stated that this distortion fosters a false impression that Africa is "marginal," despite it being the world's second-largest continent and home to over a billion people. She added that such stereotypes have a negative impact on media representation, educational materials, and policy, and they affect the identity and pride of Africans, particularly children who encounter these maps early in their schooling.

A Call for the "Equal Earth" Map

The "Correct The Map" campaign aims to reignite the debate and persuade global organizations to adopt the 2018 Equal Earth projection. This map was developed to provide a more accurate and proportional representation of countries' actual sizes.

Moky Makura, the executive director of Africa No Filter, described the misrepresentation of Africa's size as "the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign," stating that "it just simply has to stop."

Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, noted that her organization is "actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all [African] classrooms." She expressed hope that the map would also be adopted by global institutions, including those based in Africa.

Diplomatic Efforts and International Support

Haddadi confirmed the AU’s endorsement of the campaign, stating that it aligns with the AU's broader goal of "reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage." This effort comes amid a growing global dialogue on reparations for colonialism and slavery. Haddadi added that the AU will now advocate for wider adoption of the new map and discuss collective actions with its 55 member states.

The Mercator projection is still widely used in schools and by tech companies. While Google Maps switched to a 3D globe view on its desktop version in 2018, the Mercator projection remains the default on its mobile app.

The "Correct The Map" campaign has also submitted a request to the UN geospatial body (UN-GGIM), which must be reviewed and approved by a committee of experts.

The AU’s efforts are gaining international traction. Dorbrene O’Marde, Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, endorsed the Equal Earth map as a rejection of the Mercator map's "ideology of power and dominance."