The African Union (AU) wants an end to the use of a map that shrinks the African continent. The map is called the Mercator projection. It was created in 1569. In the 18th century, it became the international map for sailors. It is now the world's most widely used map. However, it does not show the true size of nations. Countries farther from the Equator look larger than they are, while countries closer to the Equator look smaller. The AU supports a campaign called Correct the Map. It wants a map that shows the correct size of Africa, and of other continents and countries.

The AU spoke to Reuters about the Mercator map. It said: "It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not." It said the map showed Africa as being less important. It said Africa is the world's second-largest continent and has more than one billion people. The non-profit organization Africa No Filter agreed. It said the Mercator map was "the world's longest misinformation…campaign and it just simply has to stop". The group Speak Up Africa wants people to use the 2018 Equal Earth map, on which "Africa appears 14 times larger than Greenland, as it actually is".