The African Union has supported a push to replace the 16th-century Mercator map of the world with one that more realistically depicts the size of Africa in order to stop states and international organizations from using it.
The projection, which was designed for navigation by cartographer Gerardus Mercator, warps the sizes of continents, making Africa and South America smaller and regions close to the poles, such as North America and Greenland, larger.
Although Africa is the second-largest continent in the globe by area and home to more than a billion people, Selma Malika Haddadi, deputy chairperson of the AU Commission, told Reuters that the Mercator created the misleading impression that the continent was "marginal." There are 55 member nations in the AU.
According to her, these prejudices have an impact on legislation, education, and the media.
The Mercator map has long been criticized, but the "Correct The Map" campaign, spearheaded by advocacy organizations Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, has reignited the discussion by asking companies to use the 2018 Equal Earth projection, which attempts to represent the actual sizes of nations.
Africa No Filter's executive director, Moky Makura, stated that the continent's map is now too small. "It's the longest disinformation and misinformation campaign in history, and it must end."
According to Speak Up Africa co-founder Fara Ndiaye, the Mercator has an impact on Africans' sense of self and pride, particularly for young students who would come into contact with it at school.
Ndiaye stated, "We're actively working on promoting a curriculum where the Equal Earth projection will be the main standard across all (African) classrooms." She also expressed her desire that international institutions, particularly those situated in Africa, will use this curriculum.
According to Haddadi, the AU supported the effort because it was in line with its objective of "reclaiming Africa's rightful place on the global stage" in the face of mounting demands for restitution for slavery and colonialism.
According to Haddadi, the AU will talk with member states on joint efforts and push for broader map adoption.
Both IT businesses and educational institutions continue to employ the Mercator projection. In 2018, Google Maps moved from a desktop Mercator view to a 3D globe view, however users can still return to the Mercator if they'd like.
However, the Mercator projection is still the default on the mobile app.
"Correct The Map" advocates for the Equal Earth map to be adopted by institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank. According to a World Bank representative, Mercator is being phased out for web maps and Winkel-Tripel or Equal Earth are already used for static maps.
The campaign claimed to have submitted a request to UN-GGIM, the UN geospatial agency. According to a UN spokesman, a committee of specialists must examine and approve it after it is received.
The AU's efforts are being supported by other areas. The Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, Dorbrene O'Marde, supported Equal Earth as a rejection of the "ideology of power and dominance" seen in the Mercator map.
