AU backs campaign to replace Mercator map over continent size
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The African Union has endorsed a campaign to replace the Mercator map, saying it distorts Africa’s size and undermines the continent’s global importance.
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A world map in the form of a set of gores for a terrestrial globe, from 1507 by cartographer Martin Waldseemüller is displayed at Christie's auction rooms in London, Tuesday, November 7, 2017 (AP)
The African Union (AU) has endorsed a campaign to end the widespread use of the 16th-century Mercator projection in favor of a map that more accurately reflects Africa’s true size.
Originally designed by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, the projection exaggerates the size of areas near the poles, such as Greenland and North America, while shrinking equatorial regions like Africa and South America.
“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” AU Commission deputy chair Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters, warning that the projection reinforces a false impression of Africa as “marginal". She stressed that this misrepresentation undermines Africa’s standing, despite being the world’s second-largest continent and home to more than one billion people.
Haddadi added that the union’s 55 member states are united in challenging such stereotypes, which influence media, education, and policy worldwide.
Advocacy groups push for Equal Earth projection
The renewed debate follows the launch of the Correct the Map campaign, led by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa. The initiative calls for governments, schools, and international institutions to adopt the Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, to better represent global landmasses.
“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 just simply has to stop.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, said the Mercator map has harmed African identity and pride for generations. “We’re actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all African classrooms,” she said.
Reclaiming Africa’s place on the global stage
According to Haddadi, the AU’s support for the campaign is part of a broader effort to “reclaim Africa’s rightful place on the global stage,” echoing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery. The AU plans to advocate for wider adoption of the Equal Earth map and will coordinate actions with member states to ensure the initiative gains traction globally.
The Mercator projection remains widely used today, including in schools and technology platforms. Google Maps switched from Mercator to a 3D globe view on desktop in 2018, though users still have the option to revert.
