DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — On the Mercator projection, one of the world’s most widely used maps, Greenland and Africa appear roughly the same size. In reality, Africa is so vast that it could hold about 14 Greenlands within its borders.

For years, critics have said the Mercator projection distorts Africa’s true scale. Now, a campaign led by African advocacy groups is gaining traction, pushing for schools, media outlets, and international organizations to switch to the Equal Earth projection, which shows continents in their proper proportions.

Last week, the African Union — representing all 55 African nations — endorsed the initiative, marking a major milestone for campaigners who say the world deserves a more accurate picture of Africa.

Africa Appears Too Small on Most Modern Maps

The Mercator projection was created in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Its main purpose was navigation: it allowed sailors to plot straight-line courses across the oceans. But to achieve that, the map stretched landmasses near the poles and compressed those near the equator.

That’s why Greenland looks about the same size as Africa, despite being 14 times smaller. South America, too, is dwarfed compared to Europe and North America, even though it is much larger in land area.

By contrast, the Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, offers a more realistic view of the planet. It mirrors the Earth’s curvature and maintains the true proportions of continents, giving a fairer picture of Africa’s scale and significance.

Advocacy Groups Campaign for Change

In April, two African organizations — Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa — launched the “Change The Map” campaign. Their mission is to convince schools, international bodies, and media outlets to abandon Mercator and adopt Equal Earth.

“Correcting the map is not only an African issue. It is a matter of truth and accuracy that concerns the entire world,” said Fara Ndiaye, co-founder and deputy executive director of Speak Up Africa.

He added that distorted maps have long minimized Africa’s importance in the global imagination: “When whole generations, in Africa and elsewhere, learn from a distorted map, they develop a biased view of Africa’s role in the world.”

The African Union’s endorsement on August 14 is the most high-profile backing yet. Campaigners say it’s a crucial step toward reshaping how the world sees the continent of 1.4 billion people.

Experts Say Mercator is Obsolete

Geographers have long criticized the Mercator projection for anything beyond its original use in navigation.

“It was a useful navigation tool in the 16th century, because it has straight lines, giving navigators a line of constant direction to sail along,” said Mark Monmonier, a geography professor at Syracuse University. “But outside of that very narrow application, there is no point in using it.”

He noted that while globe-like projections such as Equal Earth are better for showing landmass proportions, bar graphs remain the clearest way to compare sizes. “When you put irregularly shaped areas on a flat paper, people are going to have a hard time accurately comparing the size of landmasses,” Monmonier said.

Why It Matters

For campaigners, the issue is about more than geography. It’s about perception, power, and fairness. Maps shape how people understand the world, and for centuries, the Mercator projection has subtly reinforced a Eurocentric worldview by shrinking Africa and South America while enlarging Europe and North America.

By promoting the Equal Earth projection, campaigners hope to give Africa its rightful place on the map — literally and symbolically.