Policy analyst Bright Simons
Policy analyst Bright Simons has questioned the African Union’s (AU) call for the world to ditch the Mercator map projection, arguing that the bloc often pursues geo-politics without the matching geo-policy required to achieve lasting results.
In a post shared via X on Monday August 18, 2025, Simons said the AU’s position reflects a long-standing weakness stating, “African elites are very attuned to geo-POLITICS but not so much to geo-POLICY. They often push Africa’s political interests without syncing with the underlying policy-plumbing that actually shapes outcomes. I call this problem: Katanomics.”
The Mercator projection, created in 1569, is the most widely used map design but has long been faulted for making Africa appear smaller than its true size. Greenland, for instance, looks equal to Africa on Mercator maps even though it is 14 times smaller.
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Simons stressed that the map was never designed for comparing landmasses but for navigation.
“Mercator was only interested in navigation. Distorting sizes was not a problem for the mariners he was serving,” he explained.
He added that while alternative projections such as Gall-Peters better capture Africa’s scale, they come with their own trade-offs, distorting shapes.
“Any solution that focuses on popular preferences, wants, likes, fears, etc. without enough focus on the HOW we got there will fail or be ignored,” he cautioned.
Simons noted that despite decades of debate over projections, African cartographers have been largely absent.
“African cartographers were nowhere in the debates. Once again, missing in geo-POLICY,” he said, urging the continent to not only demand recognition but also to contribute technically to the solutions.
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See his full post below:
1. Our beloved African Union wants the world to ditch maps based on the Mercator projection because it makes Africa look smaller than it really is.
2. Mercator is the most popular map projection. Its size distortion is why Greenland looks equal in size to Africa when it is in… pic.twitter.com/Qc2zUat3RV
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) August 18, 2025
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