The African Union (AU) has thrown its support behind a campaign urging governments and international organizations to move away from the centuries-old Mercator map in favor of one that accurately reflects Africa’s size.
The Mercator projection, created in the 16th century by cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation, enlarges regions near the poles—like North America and Greenland—while shrinking Africa and South America. The distortion, experts say, perpetuates a false perception of Africa as “marginal,” despite it being the world’s second-largest continent, home to over a billion people, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
"It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not," AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters. "The Mercator fosters a false impression of Africa’s significance, which influences media, education, and policy."
The ‘Correct The Map’ campaign, led by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, promotes the 2018 Equal Earth projection, designed to reflect countries’ true sizes.
"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."
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, highlighted the impact on African identity and pride, particularly among children exposed to the Mercator map in schools. She added that efforts are underway to make the Equal Earth projection standard in African classrooms and to encourage its adoption by global institutions.
Haddadi said the AU’s endorsement aligns with its mission to “reclaim Africa’s rightful place on the global stage” amid growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery. The AU plans to advocate for broader map adoption and discuss collective actions with its 55 member states.
Despite the push for change, the Mercator projection remains widely used, including in schools and on tech platforms. Google Maps, for instance, switched to a 3D globe view on desktop in 2018 but still defaults to Mercator on mobile apps.
The campaign aims to convince organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank to adopt the Equal Earth projection. A World Bank spokesperson confirmed that they already use Equal Earth or Winkel-Tripel maps for static visuals and are phasing out Mercator on web maps. The UN noted that any change would need review and approval by its expert committee.
Support for the AU initiative is growing globally. Dorbrene O’Marde, Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, endorsed Equal Earth as a rejection of the Mercator map’s “ideology of power and dominance.”
