The African Union has supported a campaign urging governments and international organizations to stop using the 16th-century Mercator world map in favor of a map that more accurately represents Africa’s size.
Created by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the projection distorts continent sizes, enlarging areas near the poles such as North America and Greenland, while shrinking Africa and South America. “It may seem like just a map, but in reality, it is not,” said Selma Malika Haddadi, Vice-President of the African Union Commission, to Reuters. She explained that Mercator gave the false impression that Africa was “marginal,” even though it is the world’s second-largest continent by area, with over one billion inhabitants. The African Union has 55 member states.
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 reignited the debate, urging organizations to adopt the Equal Earth 2018 projection, which aims to reflect countries’ true sizes.
“The current size of Africa on the map is not correct,” said Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter. “This has been the longest-running campaign of misinformation and distortion in the world, and it simply must stop.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, added that the Mercator map has affected African identity and pride, particularly for children who encounter it early in school.
“We are actively promoting a program where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard in all [African] classrooms,” Ndiaye said, adding that she hopes it will also be adopted by global institutions, including those based in Africa. Haddadi confirmed that the AU supports the campaign, noting that it aligns with its goal to “reclaim Africa’s rightful place on the world stage,” amid growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
The Mercator projection is still widely used, including in schools and tech companies. Google Maps switched from Mercator on desktop to a 3D globe view in 2018, though users can still revert to Mercator if desired.
