The African Union (AU) has called for end to widely used map that shrinks the African continent. The map is called Mercator projection. It was created by mapmaker Gerardus Mercator in 1569. In 18th century, it became international standard for sailors. It is now world's most widely used map. However, it does not show true size of different nations. Countries farther away from the Equator look larger than they really are, whereas countries closer to Equator appear smaller. The AU is supporting campaign called Correct the Map. It is also calling for design that shows the correct size of Africa, and of other continents and countries.
The deputy chairperson of AU spoke about the Mercator map. She told Reuters: "It might seem to be just map, but in reality, it is not." She said Mercator gave impression that Africa was less important. She said Africa is world's second-largest continent by area and has more than one billion people. The executive director of non-profit organization Africa No Filter agreed. She said the Mercator map was "the world's longest misinformation and disinformation campaign and it just simply has to stop". group Speak Up Africa wants people to use 2018 Equal Earth map, on which "Africa appears 14 times larger than Greenland, as it actually is".
