The African Union has supported a campaign to replace the 16th-century Mercator map of the world with one that more accurately depicts the size of Africa to stop governments and international organizations from using it.
The projection, which was designed for navigation by cartographer Gerardus Mercator, warps the sizes of continents, making Africa and South America smaller and regions close to the poles, such as North America and Greenland, larger.
Selma Malika Haddadi, the deputy chairperson of the AU Commission, told reporters that the Mercator created the false impression that Africa was “marginal” despite being the second-largest continent in the world by area, with 54 countries and a population of over a billion.
She said that these stereotypes have an impact on media, education, and policy.
While criticism of the Mercator map is not new, the ‘Correct The Map’ campaign, spearheaded by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, has reignited the discussion by urging organizations to use the 2018 Equal Earth projection, which attempts to show the true sizes of nations.
“The current size of the map of Africa is wrong, Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter, stated.
“It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”
According to Speak Up Africa co-founder Fara Ndiaye, the Mercator has an impact on Africans’ sense of self and pride, particularly for young students who would come into contact with it at school.
Ndiaye stated, “We’re actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all (African) classrooms,” and she expressed her hope that international institutions, particularly those situated in Africa, would adopt it as well.
AU will push for broader map adoption and discuss collective actions with member states, Haddadi said, adding that the AU endorsed the campaign and that it was in line with its mission of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage” amid growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
The Mercator projection is still widely used, including by tech companies and schools.
In 2018, Google Maps moved from Mercator on desktop to a 3D globe view, but users can still return to Mercator if they so choose.
However, the Mercator projection is still the default on the mobile app.
“Correct The Map” advocates for the Equal Earth map to be adopted by institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank.
A World Bank representative stated that they already use the Winkel-Tripel, also known as Equal Earth, for static maps and are phasing out Mercator for web maps.
The campaign claimed to have submitted a request to UN-GGIM, the UN geospatial agency.
According to a UN spokesman, a committee of specialists must examine and approve it after it is received.
Dorbrene O’Marde, Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, supported Equal Earth as a rejection of the “ideology of power and dominance” found in the Mercator map, and other regions are supporting the AU’s efforts.
