Geography
The African Union has endorsed a global campaign to replace the Mercator projection with a map that more accurately depicts the continent’s size. The Mercator projection, introduced in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, is a cylindrical map projection that became highly influential during the Age of Exploration.
Its main feature is that it allows straight-line navigation along constant compass bearings, known as rhumb lines or loxodromes. This made it invaluable for sailors and maritime navigation. However, the projection mathematically distorts landmasses, exaggerating the size of regions closer to the poles while diminishing those near the equator. As a result, Africa appears much smaller in proportion to Europe or North America, despite being significantly larger in reality.
The African Union’s push seeks to correct such cartographic bias, highlighting the importance of geographical representation in shaping global perceptions of power, resources, and identity. It also emphasizes the link between geography and geopolitics in the modern world.
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