Three cartographers expressed disbelief after the United Nations announced the adoption of the Equal Earth projection just last week. The map, developed by its creators to offer a more accurate representation of global landmasses compared to the traditional Mercator display, has seen near-universal acceptance, despite encountering some dissatisfaction from certain diplomats.
The Equal Earth projection was designed to counter the long-standing dominance of the 16th-century Mercator map. Critics have argued that Mercator distorts the perceived size of nations, making countries in the Northern Hemisphere appear larger than they actually are. This visual bias is said to subtly reinforce perceptions of global power dynamics in favor of the West.
By providing a more faithful depiction of the relative sizes of continents such as Africa and Europe, the new projection aims to correct these historical inaccuracies and challenge entrenched Western biases in how the world is visualized.
Honest question: does this affect how we view travel distances or just land area?
Maps are never neutral. This shift definitely challenges how we perceive global power.
I didn’t know the creators were surprised by their own success. That is wild.
Is this going to replace Mercator in all our classrooms? I hope so.
Finally, a map that doesn’t make Africa look like a tiny footnote. About time!