<
https://theconversation.com/world-maps-get-africas-size-wrong-cartographers-explain-why-fixing-it-matters-263833>
"The African Union has endorsed the #CorrectTheMap Campaign, a call for the
United Nations and the wider global community to use a different kind of world
map. The campaign currently has over 4,500 signatures.
The map most commonly used is called the Mercator projection. Map projections
are how cartographers (map makers) “flatten” the three-dimensional Earth into a
two-dimensional map.
The Mercator projection was created over 450 years ago, designed for colonial
exploration and maritime trade. But, over the centuries, it has become an “all
purpose” projection for many governments, educators and companies.
That flat drawing inflates the size of countries closer to the North or South
Pole. It exaggerates the area of North America and Eurasia while
under-representing the size of much of South America and Africa. As the largest
continent in the global south, Africa is a victim of this cartographic
inequity.
The #CorrectTheMap campaign calls for a move to the Equal Earth map projection,
developed in 2018 by an international team of cartographers. It addresses the
distortions found in the Mercator projection.
Controversies over map projections are not new. Since the 1970s cartographers
have discussed how certain projections distort how the Earth looks and how
people imagine their place in that world.
At the heart of the debates about maps are tensions about what sort of power
maps have in the world.
A change in map projections, for the African Union, is about more than
correcting a technical flaw. It’s also a chance to influence how current and
future map users view, talk about and value Africa.
The call is a demand for Africans to be represented on their own terms, rather
than through cartographic traditions that have long diminished their scale and
significance.
As cartographers, we pay attention to the social and communicative power of
maps.
Given that maps help shape how we make sense of the world, the simplest
decisions that go into crafting a map can have major geopolitical
consequences."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
