The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has welcomed the United Nations General Assembly resolution that encourages the use of the Equal Earth cartographic projection in maps worldwide to replace the Mercator projection widely used so far, which distorts the sizes of continental landmasses.
In a statement issued, Youssouf commended the leadership of the Republic of Togo, which championed this initiative on behalf of Africa and helped mobilise broad support within the international community.
He also congratulated members of the AU for their unity and collective mobilisation in support of this initiative.
The initiative seeks to address distortions created by the Mercator projection, a 16th-century mapping system developed primarily for navigation.
The projection makes regions closer to the poles appear significantly larger while understating the size of areas around the equator.
The AU said the campaign goes beyond cartography, stressing the importance of representing Africa according to objective and scientifically established geographical realities.
The AU said the adoption of this resolution marks an important step forward.
Designed in the 16th century primarily for navigation, the Mercator projection does not accurately reflect the relative surface areas of different regions of the world and significantly understates the true size of the African continent.
Beyond cartography, this initiative underscores the importance of representing Africa on the basis of objective and scientifically established realities.
In this regard, the chairperson encourages international institutions, educational systems, publishers and digital platforms to progressively promote the use of cartographic representations that more accurately reflect actual land areas, according to the statement.
The AU Commission will continue to work with Togo, member states and relevant partners to support efforts towards the implementation of this initiative.
Africa must be represented as it truly is, in its true dimensions and in its rightful place in the world, the statement added.
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to adopt a non-binding resolution that encourages the use of the Equal Earth cartographic projection in maps worldwide to replace the Mercator projection.
The ‘Correct the Map’ resolution, aimed at rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa, was adopted with 164 votes in favour, one against, and six abstentions.
It recognises that the Mercator projection, widely used around the world, distorts continental masses located far from the equator, resulting in a proportional shrinkage of Africa and other regions.
– Xinhua/The New Times Rwanda
