Dakar: The African Union (AU) has officially endorsed the “Correct The Map” campaign, calling for the replacement of the centuries-old Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately depicts the size of continents. The initiative, launched by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, aims to correct long-standing distortions in how Africa and other equatorial regions are represented on maps.

The Mercator projection, created in 1569, is widely used in classrooms and media but significantly distorts the size of landmasses. It makes regions near the poles, such as Greenland and North America, appear much larger, while reducing the apparent size of equatorial areas like Africa and South America. This has contributed to perceptions that undermine the significance of Africa’s true geographical and geopolitical standing.

AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi emphasized that the issue goes beyond cartography, saying that such distortions perpetuate harmful stereotypes about Africa. Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, described the Mercator projection as “the world’s longest misinformation and disinformation campaign.” Meanwhile, Fara Ndiaye of Speak Up Africa highlighted the impact on young Africans’ self-image, stressing the need for a curriculum standardizing the Equal Earth projection across African schools.

The campaign seeks not only to transform African educational systems but also to persuade major global institutions, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), to adopt the Equal Earth projection. The World Bank has already begun phasing out Mercator in its maps, and a formal request for change has been submitted to the UN-GGIM. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has also voiced support, framing the move as a rejection of the colonial ideology embedded in traditional mapping.

The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, maintains proportional landmass sizes while preserving a visually familiar layout of the world. Advocates argue that adopting it globally would help restore a more accurate and equitable representation of continents, contributing to the decolonization of education and international perspectives.

This growing movement reflects a broader effort to challenge outdated geopolitical narratives and ensure that the world map no longer distorts Africa’s true size and importance.