"Upcoming Alterations in Geography: Unveiling the Spread of Inaccurate Information"
The African Union (AU) has declared 2025 as the "Year of Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations," marking a significant step towards addressing historical injustices. Meanwhile, the world is grappling with various geographical and astronomical mysteries.
In a move towards fairer representation, the AU has called on governments, schools, media outlets, and international organizations to adopt the Equal Earth map projection instead of the Mercator projection. This initiative aims to correct the long-standing distortion caused by the Mercator map, which has misrepresented Africa's actual size for centuries.
The Mercator projection, developed by Gerhard Mercator in 1569, has been a subject of criticism for its distortion of Africa's size. Africa, the second-largest continent with over 1.5 billion inhabitants, appears smaller on the current world map due to this distortion. This unconscious minimization of Africa's importance has been a topic of concern for scholars like Iris Schröder, professor of global history at the University of Erfurt, who states that the enlargement of Europe and the reduction of Africa on maps was politically intended and should not be perpetuated.
Fara Ndiaye further emphasizes this point, stating that non-neutral maps can influence worldviews in schools and have geopolitical consequences, as they can determine which regions are powerful and which are peripheral. Technologically, it's long been possible to use other maps, such as satellite images, which can democratize the map, according to Ndiaye.
An alternative to the Mercator map is the Gall-Peters projection, developed in 1973, which represents the size ratios of continents more realistically, despite distorting angles and being less suitable for navigation. However, despite its area-preserving representation, the Gall-Peters projection could not become the standard.
The United Nations is currently reviewing the possibility of switching from the Mercator to the Equal Earth projection. This shift could be a significant step towards a fairer and more accurate representation of global geography. The campaign "Correct the Map" has been initiated by Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, calling on international organizations to make this change.
Moky Makura, CEO of Africa No Filter, describes the distortion caused by the Mercator map as "the world's longest disinformation and misinformation campaign." Yacine Djibo, founder and CEO of Speak Up Africa, emphasizes the need for the world to see Africa as it really is, due to decisions about Africa being made with a false point of reference.
On a different note, astronomers are intrigued by an interstellar comet, referred to as 3I/ATLAS, which is posing riddles. Meanwhile, Earth's core has suddenly stopped, and the consequences of this event are yet to be determined.
In a double celestial spectacle scheduled for Earth on September 21, 2025, a solar eclipse will meet an equinox. This rare event promises to be a fascinating sight for astronomers and stargazers alike.
As we navigate these geographical and astronomical mysteries, it is crucial to strive for fairness and accuracy in our representations of the world. The AU's initiative and the campaign to correct the map are significant steps towards this goal.
Sources: - African Union's initiative: African Union website - Iris Schröder's statement: University of Erfurt - Fara Ndiaye's statement: KNA - Yacine Djibo's statement: africanmediaagency.com
