The African Union (AU) has thrown its weight behind a global campaign to replace the centuries-old Mercator map with one that more accurately reflects Africa’s true size and scale.
The Mercator projection, developed in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for navigation purposes, has long been criticised for distorting the size of continents. It significantly enlarges landmasses near the poles—such as Greenland and North America—while shrinking regions closer to the equator, including Africa and South America.
“This is not just about a map,” AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi told Reuters. “It is about the narrative it creates. The Mercator projection gives a false impression that Africa is marginal, when in fact it is the world’s second-largest continent, with 54 nations and over a billion people.”
Haddadi said such distortions influence global perceptions, shaping education, media, and policymaking in ways that undermine Africa’s status.
The AU is endorsing the Correct The Map campaign, spearheaded by advocacy groups Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa. The initiative calls for replacing the Mercator map with the 2018 Equal Earth projection, which offers a more proportional representation of countries and continents.
Moky Makura, Executive Director of Africa No Filter, described the Mercator projection as “the world’s longest-running misinformation and disinformation campaign,” adding, “It simply has to stop.”
Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, stressed the importance of representation in shaping identity. “We want the Equal Earth map to be the main standard in African classrooms,” she said, noting that early exposure to distorted maps can affect children’s sense of pride and belonging.
Haddadi emphasised that the campaign aligns with the AU’s broader mission of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage,” particularly in the context of growing calls for reparations for colonialism and slavery.
The AU plans to work with member states to promote adoption of the Equal Earth projection and push for its use by global institutions, including the World Bank and the United Nations. While some organisations have begun phasing out the Mercator map, it remains widely used in schools, publications, and digital platforms.
Google Maps, for example, replaced the Mercator projection with a 3D globe view on desktops in 2018, but its mobile app still defaults to Mercator.
Support for the AU’s initiative is also coming from outside the continent. Dorbrene O’Marde, Vice Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Commission, called the Equal Earth projection “a rejection of the Mercator map’s ideology of power and dominance.”
The AU says it will continue to advocate for the change and coordinate strategies with other regions and partners to correct what it calls a longstanding historical misrepresentation.
