What different world maps get right - and what they get wrong
The UN has called for the replacement of the widely used Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection to more accurately reflect the true sizes of continents, particularly Africa.
Intelligence analysis by Gemini 2.5 Flash
The article discusses the historical inaccuracies of the Mercator map, which distorts the size of landmasses, making continents near the poles appear larger than they are, and those near the equator, like Africa, seem smaller. It highlights the UN's recent adoption of the Equal Earth projection, which offers a fairer representation of land area, alongside other attempts to solve the c…
Imagine trying to flatten an orange peel perfectly onto a table. You can't do it without stretching or squishing parts! Maps are like that orange peel. For hundreds of years, we've used a map that made big places like Africa look tiny and cold places like Greenland look huge, which made people think some places were more important. Now, the world's big club (the UN) is trying to use a new map that shows countries their real sizes, so everyone gets a fairer picture of our planet.
Analysis
The long-standing dominance of the Mercator projection in global cartography has had profound, albeit often subconscious, effects on how the world perceives different regions. Created in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator, its primary innovation was to allow sailors to plot a straight course on a map that would correspond to a constant compass bearing in reality. This utility, crucial for oceanic navigation during the Age of Exploration, came at a significant cost: the distortion of landmass sizes, particularly exaggerating areas further from the equator while shrinking those closer to it. Consequently, continents like Africa appear disproportionately small compared to regions like Greenland or Russia, despite Africa being approximately 14 times larger than Greenland.
Mercator
Gerardus Mercator's 16th-century projection, while a navigational marvel, inadvertently embedded a Eurocentric bias into global cartography. By stretching grid lines away from the equator to maintain accurate angles for compass bearings, the map visually inflated the size of northern landmasses. This distortion has persisted for centuries, forming the basis for many maps used in education, media, and digital platforms like Google Maps. Critics argue that this visual misrepresentation has a psychological impact, leading viewers to instinctively associate larger depicted areas with greater importance, thereby implicitly diminishing the perceived significance of continents like Africa and South America.
This historical legacy has prompted calls for a more equitable representation of the world. The inherent impossibility of perfectly translating a three-dimensional sphere onto a two-dimensional plane means that any projection will involve trade-offs. While Mercator prioritized accurate direction, other projections aim for accurate area or shape. The ongoing debate underscores that maps are not merely neutral tools but powerful instruments that shape understanding and perception, influencing political, economic, and social narratives across the globe.
Equal Earth
The recent adoption of the Equal Earth projection by the United Nations marks a significant step towards addressing the size distortions inherent in the Mercator map. Developed in 2018, this projection was specifically designed to present the size and shape of landmasses more accurately, drawing inspiration from the 1963 Robinson projection. Its adoption by the African Union members in February, prior to the UN's resolution, highlights the continent's proactive role in advocating for more representative cartography. The Equal Earth map directly tackles the issue of area distortion, ensuring that continents like Africa are depicted in their true proportional size relative to other landmasses.
However, the Equal Earth projection, like all 2D maps, comes with its own set of compromises. While it excels at preserving area, it sacrifices the straight lines that made the Mercator projection invaluable for navigation. This means it cannot be used for accurately measuring true distances between different places or for plotting constant compass bearings. As Professor James Cheshire of University College London explains, it's impossible to perfectly preserve area, shape, distance, and direction all at once on a flat map. The choice of projection, therefore, becomes a decision about which geographical properties are prioritized, reflecting different purposes and perspectives.
Kioko Muendo
Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo articulates the profound implications of map projections beyond mere geographical representation. He emphasizes that "Maps are more than just guides for travellers - they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically." Muendo's perspective underscores the argument that the Mercator map's implicit downplaying of Africa's vastness has contributed to a global underestimation of its resources, population, and investment opportunities. By visually shrinking Africa, the map may have inadvertently reinforced narratives that diminish the continent's global standing and potential.
This psychological effect, where bigger is instinctively viewed as more important, highlights the power of visual media in shaping collective consciousness. The UN's "Correct the Map" resolution, driven in part by such concerns, aims to counteract these long-standing biases. By promoting maps that accurately reflect the true scale of continents, particularly Africa, there is an expectation that global perceptions will gradually shift, leading to a more informed and equitable engagement with the continent's diverse realities. This move is not just about cartographic accuracy but about fostering a more balanced and respectful global outlook.
Key points
- The UN has called for the replacement of the Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection to correct size distortions.
- The Mercator map, created in 1569, accurately shows compass bearings but distorts landmass sizes, making areas near the poles appear larger.
- Africa is depicted as similar in size to Greenland on the Mercator map, despite being 14 times larger in reality.
- The Equal Earth map, adopted by the African Union and then the UN, accurately represents landmass areas but sacrifices accurate distances and straight navigation lines.
- Cartographers note that no 2D map can perfectly preserve all geographical properties (area, shape, distance, direction) simultaneously.
The adoption of more accurate map projections like the Equal Earth map could lead to a more equitable global perception of continents, particularly Africa, fostering a better understanding of its true scale, resources, and potential. This shift might encourage fairer political and economic engagement, as visual biases are reduced and the continent's vastness is properly acknowledged.
Despite the UN's resolution, deeply ingrained habits and the practical utility of older projections like Mercator for specific purposes (e.g., navigation) mean that widespread adoption of new maps might be slow. The inherent trade-offs in any 2D projection also mean that while one distortion is fixed, others (like shape or distance accuracy) are introduced, preventing a truly perfect and universally accepted solution.