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

The African Union has endorsed the 'Correct The Map' campaign, urging governments and global institutions to replace the distorted 16th-century Mercator projection with the Equal Earth map that more accurately represents Africa's true size. Reuters reports: 'It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,' AU Commission deputy chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters, saying 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. 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,' Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter, 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.

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, though users can still switch back to the Mercator if they prefer. On the mobile app, however, the Mercator projection remains the default. 'Correct The Map' wants organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations to adopt the Equal Earth map. A World Bank spokesperson said they already use the Winkel-Tripel or Equal Earth for static maps and are phasing out Mercator on web maps.

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