AFRICA’S TRUE SIZE GAINS GLOBAL RECOGNITION AS UN BACKS NEW WORLD MAP

AFRICA’S TRUE SIZE GAINS GLOBAL RECOGNITION AS UN BACKS NEW WORLD MAP

For generations, millions of people have grown up looking at world maps that give a misleading impression of Africa’s true size.

That could now begin to change.

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly backed a resolution encouraging the use of the Equal Earth map projection, which more accurately represents the relative sizes of continents and countries.

The resolution was approved on September 4, with 164 countries voting in favour, six abstaining and the United States casting the only vote against it.

At the centre of the debate is the Mercator projection, a world map developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.

Mercator designed the projection primarily for navigation. However, converting the globe into a flat rectangular map creates major distortions, particularly towards the North and South poles.

As a result, places such as Greenland, Canada, Russia and parts of Europe appear considerably larger in relation to countries and continents closer to the equator.

Africa has been one of the biggest victims of that visual distortion.

Africa covers approximately 30.3 million square kilometres, while Greenland covers about 2.17 million square kilometres. This means Africa is roughly 14 times larger than Greenland, despite the two appearing much closer in size on many traditional Mercator maps.

Africa is also large enough to contain the United States, China, India and several European countries within its landmass.

The push to change how the world is represented has been driven by the Correct The Map campaign, an African-led initiative supported by the African Union and championed internationally by Togo.

Supporters argue that the issue goes beyond geography. They say generations of people seeing Africa represented as smaller than its actual relative size can influence perceptions of the continent and its place in the world.

The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, offers an alternative.

Unlike Mercator, Equal Earth preserves the relative area of countries and continents. Africa therefore appears much larger when compared with northern landmasses, while places such as Greenland appear considerably smaller.

Africa itself has not become larger. The difference is that the map represents its size more accurately.

No flat map can perfectly reproduce the surface of a spherical planet. Different projections inevitably distort some combination of shape, distance, direction or area. Equal Earth prioritises accurate relative land area while keeping the continents recognisable.

The UN resolution does not ban Mercator maps and is not legally binding. Mercator also remains useful for certain navigational purposes.

Instead, the resolution encourages governments, schools, international organisations and other institutions to consider more accurate equal-area projections when displaying the world for educational and general purposes.

The movement has also received support in the Caribbean, with the CARICOM Reparations Commission previously backing calls for greater use of Equal Earth.

More than 450 years after the Mercator projection was introduced, the debate is forcing people to reconsider one of the most familiar images in classrooms, offices and homes around the world.

Africa was never as small as many traditional world maps made it appear.

The map is finally being challenged to reflect that reality.