'Correcting The Map': reshaping perceptions of Africa

Nairobi: The Mercator world map, long a fixture in classrooms globally, makes the European Union appear almost as large as Africa. In reality, Africa...

Nairobi: The Mercator world map, long a fixture in classrooms globally, makes the European Union appear almost as large as Africa. In reality, Africa is more than seven times bigger.

It is a distortion that has prompted a new African initiative, "Correct the Map", calling for depictions that show Africa's true scale.

"For centuries, this map has minimised Africa, feeding into a narrative that the continent is smaller, peripheral and less important," said Fara Ndiaye, co-founder of Speak Up Africa, which is leading the campaign alongside another advocacy group, Africa No Filter.

Accurately translating the Earth's sphere into a flat map always calls for compromises, requiring parts to be stretched, cut or left out, experts told AFP.

Historically, maps have reflected the worldview of their makers.