The world map as we know it has wrongly portrayed Africa as much smaller than it actually is.
And this is yet another example of how the Global South has long been undermined and exploited by Western imperialism.
The African Union has finally come to the party and thrown its weight to a call against the continued use of a centuries-old map that distorts Africa.
The Mercator projection, which is widely used as the default world map, has drawn criticism for its inaccuracies, most notably, shrinking Africa and South America while enlarging parts of North America and Europe.
For years people have called this out but there has been no real action.
The African Union is now supporting the Correct the Map campaign which is an initiative led by Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, which advocates replacing the Mercator projection with the more accurate Equal Earth projection.
Fara Ndiaye, Deputy Executive Director of Speak Up Africa, explained to The Debrief Network the significance of the campaign, saying it is about correcting distortions.
“When we talk about Correct The Map, some people ask, ‘Why should this matter to a non-African?’ The truth is this isn't just an African issue, it's a global one. For centuries, the world has learned geography through a distorted lens. The Mercator map was designed to serve empire, not accuracy.”
The Mercator projection makes Africa appear much smaller than it actually is.
In reality, Africa spans 30.37 million square kilometers - large enough to fit the United States, China, India, and most of Europe simultaneously.
This stark contrast reinforces harmful perceptions. When a continent is minimized on a map, it's also minimized in the mind.
Such distortion fuels cultural bias, reinforces stereotypes, and diminishes the importance, pride, and power of African nations.
Dr. Simphiwe Laura Stewart, Director of Green Creed Consulting Group and expert in political geography, shared this insight with The Debrief Network:
“We can argue that the current world map isn’t geography at all, it’s propaganda. It is a dated and irrelevant construct of the Western imagination. This is not about cartography at all. If we redraw the world map, then we redraw the global imagination. We better position countries and continents beyond Africa in their truth, as vast, as powerful and as important, outside of the western propaganda.”
The Correct the Map campaign seeks to correct this misrepresentation of global power and geography.
By endorsing this movement, the African Union is calling on the United Nations to officially adopt the Equal Earth projection.
Some institutions, such as the World Bank, have already made the switch.
Unlike the Mercator projection, the Equal Earth map provides a more accurate, undistorted view of the world.
Ndiayi added; “For us at Speak Up Africa, adopting the Equal Earth projection is not just about restoring Africa’s dignity, it’s about teaching the truth. It allows children in Europe, Asia, and the Americas to understand Africa’s true size, its people, its resources, and its future.”
Maps are not unbiased.
They shape how we see the world, and who we see as important. Activists say it is time to stop allowing Western-dominated narratives to define our place in the world and to draw ourselves as we truly are: powerful and expansive.
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