African Union joins call for true-to-size world map to replace Mercator version | African Union

The African Union supported a campaign to end the 16th century Mercator map of the 16th century in favor of someone who exhibited the magnitude of Africa more accurately.

The projection created by the carter Gerardus Mercator for the still Navigation disrupts continental dimensions and expands the areas near the poles such as North America and Greenland while shrinking Africa and South America. Selma Malika Haddadi, President of the African Union Commission, told Reuters that the Mercator was “marginal” with more than 1 billion people despite being the second largest continent in the world. The union has 55 member states.

Authorized, these stereotypes affect media, education and politics, he said.

The criticism of the Mercator map is not new, but the map campaign led by advocacy groups, under the leadership of Filter and Speech, re -revived the discussion by inviting organizations to adopt the 2018 equal world projection trying to reflect the real dimensions of the countries.

Moky Makura, General Manager of the African No filter, said, the current size of the African map is wrong, ”he said. “The longest false information in the world and the disinformation campaign and just have to stop.”

Speak Up Africa’s founding partner Fara Ndiaye said Mercator’s identity and pride of the Africans, especially children who may encounter at the beginning of the school.

“We are actively trying to encourage a curriculum in which equal soil projection will be the entire general standard. [African] Ndiaye said that he hoped that he would be used by global institutions, including African -based institutions. Haddadi said that Au has approved the campaign and that “Africa’s recycling in the global scene ıyla with the increasing calls for the increasing calls for colonialism and Slavery.

Haddadi added that AU will defend the adoption of a wider map and discuss collective actions with member states.

Mercator projection is still widely used, including schools and technology companies. Google maps moved from the Mercator to 3D Globe from the desktop in 2018, but users can return to the Mercator if they want.

However, in the mobile application, the Mercator projection remains default.

Correct the map asks organizations such as the World Bank and the UN to adopt an equal land map. A World Bank spokesman said that he has already used Winkel Tripel projection or equal Earth for static maps and used Mercator gradually on web maps.

The campaign said it has sent a request to the UN JEO-Supporting organ. A UN spokesman said it should be reviewed and approved by an experts committee once.

Other regions support AU’s efforts. The Caribbean Society (Caricom) Compensation Commission Vice President Dorbrene O’MARDE approved the equal world as the rejection of the map of the Mercator map.