The Map Reckoning: A New Era of Accuracy and Decolonization The United Nations' decision to adopt a new world map that accurately represents Africa's size is a long overdue correction to centuries of cartographic colonialism.
The Mercator projection, which has been the global standard for almost five decades, has consistently distorted Africa's size and scale, making it appear smaller than it truly is while amplifying countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
This bias has far reaching consequences, perpetuating systemic inequalities in international trade, development priorities, and educational frameworks.