African Union Backs Campaign for Accurate World Map, Replacing Mercator Projection

The Mercator Map's Distortion

• 🗺️ The widely used 16th-century Mercator map is criticized for distorting the true sizes of continents, particularly shrinking Africa and South America while enlarging areas near the poles like Greenland.
• 💡 This distortion is described as the world's longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, impacting perceptions of importance and power on the global stage.

The Correct the Map Campaign

• 🎯 The African Union has officially backed the "Correct the Map" campaign, urging the adoption of more accurate map projections.
• 🌍 The campaign, led by Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, advocates for the 2018 Equal Earth Projection as a replacement for the Mercator map.
• 📚 Speak Up Africa is working to integrate the Equal Earth Map into the curriculum across all African classrooms.

Impact on Identity and Global Standing

• 🧠 The Mercator map's depiction of Africa as smaller than it is can undermine African identity and pride.
• ✊ By presenting a reduced continent, the map contributes to a false perception of diminished importance and power globally.

Calls for Wider Adoption

• 🏛️ The "Correct the Map" campaign is requesting organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations to adopt the Equal Earth map.
• 🌐 A World Bank spokesperson indicated they already use alternative projections like Winkle triple or Equal Earth for static maps and are phasing out Mercator online.
• 🤝 The African Union Commission stated its alignment with the campaign's goals and will advocate for wider adoption and discuss collective actions with member states.