The planisphere that we all learned at school, and which has existed since 1569, is misleading. Several countries are campaigning to change this representation and replace it with a corrected version, more faithful to scientific truth.
What if the world map had always lied to us? In geography classes at school, like when we use the map on our phone to get around, we have all known the same planisphere for decades. Centuries even, since this representation of the Earth has existed since 1569. Called the Mercator projection, named after the Flemish geographer who created it, this map became the universal reference because its precision, unprecedented for the time, had revolutionized maritime expeditions. But in recent years, it has been called into question.
For example, Greenland is actually much smaller than we think. On the current world map, its size is almost the size of Africa. However, in fact, the surface area of the continent is 14 times larger than that of Danish territory. Even more surprising: if Russia is indeed the largest country in the world, it is in reality almost half as small as the African continent… where our planisphere represents it as almost twice as big. Examples among many others, which prove that the Mercator projection distorts the real size of countries: as it is a flat representation of the globe, of cylindrical type, it is “stretched” at the two poles, which disproportions the entire map.
If the subject has already been on the table for some time, the project to officially change this map is just starting to come to fruition. Next September, UN countries will be put to a vote to adopt (or not) a new representation of our planet, called the “Equal Earth” projection. This corrected planisphere is at the center of the “Correct the Map” campaign, initiated by the organization Speak Up Africa and supported by the African Union. It is Robert Dussey, Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is responsible for presenting this draft resolution at the next United Nations General Assembly.
If this change of map would therefore be logical on a scientific level, African countries are fighting above all to reestablish a truth eclipsed by colonization. Indeed, the Mercator projection artificially enlarges Europe and North America, in short the great world powers, while it reduces the size of Africa by approximately half. “This distortion is not neutral, it shapes our collective imagination, influences school programs and also media representations”deplores Fara Ndiaye, deputy director of Speak Up Africa, to RFI.
It now remains to be seen how many of the 193 UN member states will agree to modify this map of the world, which has been used for more than 400 years. If a consensus is reached, that is to say that everyone agrees, the proposal will be adopted without a vote and we could then see all our planispheres and other Google Maps type applications change in the future. On the other hand, if the new “Equal Earth” projection is adopted by a majority vote, countries that are against it may choose not to adopt this version. We will therefore have to wait until September 2026 to find out if the world, as we have always known it, will soon change.
