GNV News – September 3, 2025

The “Correct the Map” campaign, which aims to accurately show Africa’s size on world maps, is gaining momentum.

This campaign urges the creation of accurate maps using the Equal Earth projection in place of the Mercator projection that is currently used on many world maps. The Mercator projection is a projection suited to nautical charts and was devised in the 16th century, but it has the drawback that areas on the map are increasingly distorted and enlarged the closer they are to the poles. As a result, although the African continent is actually 14 times the area of Greenland, under the Mercator projection the two appear to be roughly the same size. Greenland is exaggerated, and Africa is reduced.

The “Correct the Map” campaign, which seeks to fix this distortion, began in 2018. It has called on international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank to use maps in the Equal Earth projection.

In response to the campaign, Google Maps changed its desktop maps in 2018 from the Mercator projection to a 3D globe view. The World Bank is also phasing out the use of Mercator-projection maps.

Then, on August 14, 2025, the African Union (AU) also expressed its support for the campaign. It fears that maps that shrink the African continent spread misconceptions about the size and influence of African countries.

However, correcting world maps is by no means easy. How will the push for change develop?

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