Overview

• Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa have submitted the Correct the Map request to the UN’s geospatial body (UN-GGIM) after the African Union endorsed the campaign on August 14.
• Advocates want institutions and schools to adopt the Equal Earth projection to reflect Africa’s true scale, noting that roughly 14 Greenlands would fit inside the continent.
• A Semafor analysis highlights digital trade-offs with Equal Earth compared with Web Mercator and questions the AU’s consultation with Africa’s mapping and tech communities.
• Adoption remains uneven across platforms and publishers, with Google using a 3D globe on desktop but Mercator on mobile, and reports noting moves toward equal-area maps by NASA, National Geographic and the World Bank.
• Geographers say Mercator is outdated for general world maps, and campaigners argue a truer representation could reshape perceptions that influence education and policy.