Leo Gillick
The world map we use today greatly distorts the size of countries, and Africa is calling for a new, more true-to-life one to be used in classrooms and other institutions.
Videos by Rare
Why it matters: Currently, the most universally recognised world map is known as the Mercator map. It distorts land masses north and south of the equator. This isn’t for any kind of nefarious reasons; it’s simply for navigational purposes. The Merctor map acts as a navigational guide perfectly. However, it does not give a fair representation of the true size of continents and countries.
- I always knew that the map was a little off, but I didn’t really grasp it until I travelled to Brazil. Having flown around Europe most of my life, spanning Europe from London to Rome in only 2 and a half hours, I was shocked at how long it took to fly across even a fraction of Brazil.
- The map claimed I should have been able to cover it in no time at all. Yet here I was, traveling from Manaus in the central north to Salvador in the northeast, and it took between 8 and 10 hours. I was being lied to.
It’s done. You can download the Equal Earth Physical Map, which is in the public domain, at the link below. Special thanks to the reviewers of the first draft who caught mistakes and made many valuable suggestions.https://t.co/ssN3A8goQ8 pic.twitter.com/VOw5DHYliI
— Tom Patterson (@MtnMapper) February 3, 2019
Africa is tired of people using a world map that doesn’t accurately represent their enormous continent. They are hoping to encourage people around the world to start using what is known as the Equal Earth map. This shows the true size of landmasses.
Equal Earth
There has been a push from both Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa to start using the much more representative Equal Earth world map. They are encouraging many establishments, including schools, international organisations, and media outlets, to use it. This will help show the true size of Africa.
- Fara Ndiaye, co-founder and deputy executive director of Speak Up Africa, spoke to AP about their plans. “Correcting the map is not only an African issue. It is a matter of truth and accuracy that concerns the entire world. 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 Mercator map was great in its time because it helped with navigation. Now, however, it is outdated. It would be better to use a representative map rather than one that distorts the true size of landmasses.
Shrinking countries and continents like the Americas and Africa give a biased view of the impact of these areas. By shrinking them, their true influence on the world stage is diminished.
