The African Union has endorsed a campaign urging governments and global institutions to replace the Mercator projection with maps that more accurately depict Africa’s true scale.
The Mercator map, designed in the 16th century by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, enlarges regions near the poles, such as Greenland, while shrinking equatorial continents like Africa and South America. As a result, Africa ? home to more than a billion people and the world’s second-largest continent ? appears smaller than Europe or North America.
AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi stated that the distortion fosters the impression that Africa is “marginal,” shaping perceptions in education, media, and policy. Advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa are spearheading the “Correct The Map” campaign, which promotes the Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018 to ensure accurate area representation.
Moky Makura of Africa No Filter called the Mercator map “the world’s longest disinformation campaign.” Co-founder of Speak Up Africa, Fara Ndiaye, added that changing maps in schools could strengthen African identity.
The AU says adopting Equal Earth supports its mission to reclaim Africa’s global standing.