A recent initiative led by African nations has prompted the United Nations to endorse a new map projection called the Equal Earth, designed to provide a more accurate representation of the sizes of countries and continents, particularly Africa. The U.S. was the only member to vote against this proposal, which received overwhelming support with a 164-1 vote.
The Equal Earth projection aims to rectify significant distortions presented by the Mercator Projection, a widely used map created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. The Mercator map has been criticized for exaggerating the size of countries near the poles while minimizing the true size of equatorial regions. It has depicted countries such as Greenland and Alaska as disproportionately large compared to their actual dimensions.
Scott Bell, a professor of geography and planning, noted that maps are often distorted when trying to represent a spherical earth on a flat surface, ultimately challenging the perception of different regions. For instance, on a Mercator map, Alaska appears larger than Mexico, despite the latter’s greater land area. This tendency perpetuates a Eurocentric view by exaggerating the importance of countries in the Global North.
The Equal Earth projection, developed by cartographers Tom Patterson, Bojan Šavrič, and Bernhard Jenny in 2018, accurately displays Africa’s vast size of 30.4 million square kilometers, allowing it to encompass the U.S., China, India, and much of Western Europe within its borders. Zoe Marks, Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Center for African Studies, expressed enthusiasm about this shift towards visual accuracy and the significance it holds for global conversations around Africa.
While the U.N.’s resolution is not legally binding and does not abolish the Mercator Projection, it reinforces a commitment to accurate geographic representation. Maps play a critical role in shaping public perceptions, according to Bell, who emphasized that the new official support for the Equal Earth projection sends a strong message regarding the importance of geographic accuracy.
Despite its historical significance, the Mercator projection remains in use for various navigation tools, including Google Maps, which relies on a modified version of the original. David Weimer, a former librarian for Cartographic Collections and Learning at Harvard, noted the utility of the Mercator projection in navigating roads accurately, although he acknowledged the distortions it presents.
The transition to a more accurate representation of Africa’s size may take time, but it is expected to spark discussions about the continent’s emerging influence as a global power. Marks believes that as Africa continues to grow, the narrative surrounding it must begin with accurate depictions. “This century will be the African century,” she asserted, emphasizing the importance of starting with the right map as a step towards recognizing Africa’s role on the world stage.
