The African Union (AU) has thrown its weight behind a global campaign to retire the 16th-century Mercator projection and replace it with maps that more accurately represent Africa’s true size. The move is not just about cartography — it’s about reclaiming Africa’s place in the world.
A Map That Distorts Reality
The Mercator projection, developed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, was designed to aid navigation for European sailors during the Age of Exploration. While revolutionary at the time, it severely distorts the relative size of continents. Landmasses near the poles, such as Greenland and North America, appear much larger than they are, while equatorial regions, including Africa and South America, are dramatically shrunken.
This distortion, critics argue, has fed a false narrative of Africa as smaller and less significant than it truly is. “It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” said AU Commission deputy chair Selma Malika Haddadi. “The Mercator projection fosters a false impression that Africa is marginal, despite being the world’s second-largest continent with over a billion people.”
The “Correct the Map” Campaign
The AU’s endorsement adds momentum to the Correct the Map initiative, spearheaded by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa. The campaign promotes the Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, which more faithfully represents the proportional size of continents.
“The current size of the map of Africa is wrong,” said Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter. “It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it simply has to stop.”
For campaigners, this is more than a technical correction. It is about dismantling long-held stereotypes embedded in education, media, and policy that have historically diminished Africa’s significance.
Education, Identity, and Pride
One of the central arguments behind the push is the impact of distorted maps on children’s sense of identity. Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, highlighted that young Africans often encounter the Mercator projection early in school, shaping their worldview.
“We’re actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across African classrooms,” Ndiaye said. “We also hope it will be adopted by global institutions, including those based on the continent.”
By placing Africa more accurately at the center of global cartography, the AU and its partners believe they can restore a sense of pride and belonging while combating the subtle yet powerful psychological effects of marginalization.
A Political and Symbolic Shift
Beyond education, the AU’s position reflects a broader political project: redefining Africa’s role on the global stage. Haddadi noted that supporting the campaign aligns with the AU’s mission to reclaim Africa’s rightful place amid rising calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
Other regions have echoed this stance. Dorbrene O’Marde, vice-chair of the Caribbean Community’s (Caricom) Reparations Commission, described the Mercator as an “ideology of power and dominance” and endorsed Equal Earth as a rejection of that legacy.
Global Adoption Still Uneven
Despite progress, the Mercator projection remains widespread. Many schools, institutions, and even tech platforms rely on it. For example, Google Maps shifted its desktop version to a 3D globe view in 2018, but its mobile app still defaults to the Mercator.
The Correct the Map campaign has called on organizations like the United Nations and World Bank to adopt Equal Earth more broadly. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed that the institution uses Equal Earth or the Winkel tripel projection for static maps and is phasing out Mercator online. The UN’s geospatial committee has yet to make a final decision but acknowledged receiving a request for review.
Reclaiming Africa’s True Size
For the AU and its allies, this campaign is not merely about geography. It is a step toward correcting centuries of misinformation that has shaped perceptions of power and importance. “Reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the map is part of reclaiming its rightful place in the world,” Haddadi emphasized.
As the campaign gains traction, the AU hopes to spark a global shift — one that reflects not just accuracy in cartography but fairness in how the world sees Africa.
