Reuters
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The African Union supported a campaign to end the use of governments and international organizations of the world’s 16th century Mercator maps in favor of a more accurate indication of the size of Africa.
Created for navigation by cartographer Gerardus Mercator, this projection distorts the size of the continent and distorts enlarged areas near poles like North America and Greenland, while reducing Africa and South America.
“It may seem like just a map, but it’s not,” AU Commission Vice Chair Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters, saying Mercator mistakenly made the impression that Africa was “limited” and was the second largest continent in the region, exceeding 1 billion. The AU has 55 member states.
Such stereotypes affect the media, education and policy, she said.
While criticism of Mercator Maps is nothing new, the “Revised The Map” campaign led by advocacy groups in Africa is urging organizations to take on the 2018 Equal Earth Projection, which aims to reflect the true size of the country without filtering, to speak Africa and to embrace the 2018 Equal Earth Projection, which seeks to reflect the true size of the country.
“The current size of the map of Africa is incorrect,” says Moky Makura, executive director of Africa, without filters. “It’s the longest misinformation and disinformation campaign in the world and we just have to stop it.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, said Mercator had an impact on African identity and pride, especially the children she may encounter for the first time in school.
“We are actively working to promote curriculum where equal projections of the planet are the key references in all (African) classrooms,” Ndiaye added that he hopes that it will also be used by institutions around the world, including institutions based in Africa.
Haddadi said the AU has approved the campaign and added that it has aligned its goal of “reclamating Africa’s legitimate locations at a global stage” amid growing demand for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
The AU advocates for the adoption of a wider map and discusses collective action with member states, Haddadi added.
Mercator’s projections are still widely used, including in schools and high-tech companies. Google Maps switched from Mercator on desktop to 3D Glove View in 2018, but users can switch to Mercator even if they wish.
However, on mobile apps, Mercator projections remain the default.
The “Modification” Map hopes organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations will adopt the Equal Earth Map. A World Bank spokesperson said it already uses Winkel Tripel or equal Earth for its static maps, and it has abolished Mercator on its webmap.
The campaign said it sent a request to ggim to a UN geospatial organization. A UN spokesman said once it has been received, it must be reviewed and approved by a committee of experts.
Other regions support the AU’s efforts. Dolblaine Omardo, vice-chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparation Committee, has approved Equal Earth as a rejection of Mercator Map’s “ideology of power and control.”
