African Union Endorses Equal Earth Projection to Challenge Mercator Map’s Distortion
The African Union (AU) has joined a campaign urging the replacement of the Mercator projection with a map that accurately represents the continent’s true scale, reports 24brussels.
The AU has officially endorsed the global adoption of the Equal Earth projection, which seeks to rectify the misrepresentation of Africa and other regions historically distorted by the Mercator map. This projection, originally developed in the 16th century for navigation, has been criticized for exaggerating landmasses near the poles while downplaying those at the equator, thus inaccurately portraying Africa—the world’s second-largest continent by area and home to over one billion people—as significantly smaller.
“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” articulated AU Commission deputy chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi. She pointed out that such distortions reinforce perceptions of Africa as “marginal,” influencing media narratives, educational content, and policy decisions.
The campaign, dubbed Correct The Map, spearheaded by advocacy organizations Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, has reignited discussions around the matter, pressing for the adoption of the Equal Earth projection by governments and international bodies. Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter, emphasized the urgency, stating, “The current size of the map of Africa is wrong. It’s the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign, and it just simply has to stop.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, indicated the extensive impact of early education on cartographic standards. “We’re actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all (African) classrooms,” she noted, hopeful for its broader acceptance among global institutions.
The AU intends to engage its 55 member states in discussions on collective actions to advance this campaign, positioning it within a larger effort to “reclaim Africa’s rightful place on the global stage” amidst escalating demands for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
Despite the Mercator projection’s widespread use in educational settings and technology platforms, its relevance is being questioned. While Google Maps introduced a 3D globe option in 2018, the standard mobile display continues to utilize the Mercator model. Advocacy groups are lobbying the World Bank and the United Nations to adopt Equal Earth, seeking a transformation in how geographical data is represented.
A World Bank representative confirmed that the institution is transitioning away from the Mercator projection in its web applications, increasingly utilizing the Winkel-Tripel or Equal Earth models for static maps. The UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management is considering the campaign’s requests for immediate adaptation.
Support for this initiative is manifesting globally, with Dorbrene O’Marde, Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, endorsing Equal Earth as a dismissal of the “ideology of power and dominance” inherent in the Mercator projection.
