Togo will urge the United Nations General Assembly in September to abandon the Mercator world map, a centuries-old projection that distorts the size of continents, in favour of the Equal Earth map, which more accurately reflects Africa's true scale. The proposal, approved by the African Union in April, follows discussions at the bloc's February summit where member states backed replacing the Mercator projection, which makes Africa appear smaller than it is. The African Union stated that the Mercator projection distorts the continent's size, influences global perceptions, and negatively impacts assessments of Africa's economic potential. Faya Ndiaye, deputy executive director of advocacy group Speak Up Africa, said maps are not neutral and pointed out that Greenland appears nearly as large as Africa on the Mercator map, even though Africa is 14 times bigger in reality. Carlos Lopes of the University of Cape Town's Mandela School of Public Governance, involved in the 2025 Correct the Map project with Africa No Filter, said geographic representations still shape how Africa is viewed globally. The Mercator projection, created in 1569 by Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator, was revolutionary for navigation as it allowed straight-line sea routes, but critics argue its continued use reflects outdated colonial-era worldviews. Ndiaye noted that while the map may not have been designed to minimise Africa, it served European powers by placing them at the world's centre. Lopes described the Mercator map as progressive for the 16th century but said maintaining it today is unjustifiable given current knowledge. The Gall-Peters projection, introduced by James Gall in 1855 and popularised by Arno Peters in the 1970s, corrected area distortion but created new issues by distorting shapes. The African Union has endorsed the Equal Earth map as a more balanced alternative, though its own logo still features the Mercator outline.
Togo's push to replace the Mercator map at the UN exposes a contradiction in the African Union's stance, given its continued use of the same distorted projection in its official logo. Advocating for accurate geographic representation while retaining a symbol that undermines that message weakens the campaign's credibility. The effort to shift global perception through cartography hinges on consistency, which the bloc has yet to demonstrate.
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