Hi there Fediverse!
First post, and quite an unusual one.
I recently posted (in Italian) a short video on the #Mercator projection and how it influences Eurocentric views of the world. I suggested either the #GallPeters (sponsored by UNESCO in education, and the one I currently use in my trainings) or the #EqualEarth projection (sponsored by the African Union).
Well, I received a looooot of backlash.
What are your thoughts? Super curious to hear your insight!
Physische Karte der Erde in Equal-Earth-Projektion
Die Equal-Earth-Projektion zeigt die Landflächen und Ozeane relativ zueinander in korrekten Größenverhältnissen.
Du siehst, wie groß Afrika ist und z.B. wie klein Russland ;-)
https://www.mapfox.de/EQW_PHY.php
Un bon article, mais sans lien. Comment rendre leur vraie taille à tous les pays sur les cartes ? https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/anthropologie/corrige-la-carte-initiative-pour-rendre-a-l-afrique-sa-vraie-taille-sur-la-mappemonde_188076
#geographie #mappemonde #carte
Reporting back from the Equal Earth code sprint in Graz:
https://kalberer.org/pirmin/blog/equal-earth-ol-sprint/
On the way to one of the capital cities of #openlayers development :mapstodon: 🇦🇹 #EqualEarth
Die Afrikanische Union fordert eine neue, maßstabsgetreue Weltkarte 🌍, um die wahre Größe Afrikas zu zeigen und jahrzehntelange Verzerrungen durch die Mercator-Projektion zu beenden. Die Kampagne setzt ein starkes Zeichen für mehr Gerechtigkeit und Stolz! #FixTheMap #Afrika #EqualEarth
https://www.n-tv.de/mediathek/magazine/auslandsreport/Afrika-ist-groesser-als-gedacht-Kampagne-fordert-neue-Weltkarte-article25976358.html #newz
#AfricanUnion Joins Calls To End Use Of #Mercator Map That Shrinks Continent’s Size
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/15/african-union-true-size-world-map-replace-mercator-version <-- shared media article
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[just a reminder that the Mercator projection was developed in 1569 for use in marine navigation, so as to utilise “rhumb line[s],… a path on the Earth's surface that crosses all meridians of longitude at the same constant angle, allowing for a steady compass bearing to be followed.” (this is most specifically NOT pedantry!)
Glad that the suggested projection to make – rightly – the size of Africa be accurately represented is Equal Earth (https://equal-earth.com/, 4th figure) - rather than the (1) gross shapes distortion and (2) (erroneous) ‘socially concerned groups’ baggage that has been attached to the Gall-Peters projection]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #Africa #size #truesize #accurate #representation #stereotypes #CorrectTheMap #marine #navigation #campaign #equalearth #projection #shape #mapprojection #education #continent
#AfricaNoFilter #SpeakUpAfrica
Equal Earth • Political Wall Map
https://equal-earth.com/index.html
#HackerNews #EqualEarth #PoliticalMap #WorldMap #Cartography #Innovation #Geography
Map projections in the news! And we cartographers are all relieved that it's not the Gall-Peters Projection again. The newer Equal Earth Projection is a much better alternative to Mercator.
Via Reuters: "African Union urges adoption of world map showing continent's true size"
#maps #cartography #Africa #Mercator #EqualEarth #EqualEarthProjection #MapProjections #AfricanUnion
#EqualEarth Projektion gefordert:
„Die Afrikanische Union…hat nun beschlossen, gegen diesen Zustand vorzugehen. Sie hat sich…einer Kampagne angeschlossen, die die Welt unter dem Namen #CorrectTheMap dazu auffordert, sich von der Mercator-Projektion zu verabschieden.“ via #SZ
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/artikel/politik/afrika-weltkarte-verzerrung-historisch-ungerecht-protest-e222366/?reduced=true
The #AfricanUnion has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organisations of the 16th-century #Mercator #map of the #world in favour of one that more accurately displays #Africa's size.
#maps #carthography #postcolonialism #worldview #EqualEarthMap #EqualEarth #cartographicperspectives #continents
‘US, China, India can all fit into Africa’: On a quest to fix the world map | Inequality News | Al Jazeera
https://blog.taursnd.haus/display/1a041b09-1768-3757-9d49-e66644333268
on a side note, I use the opportunity to repeat my constant encouragement to start unsing modern #map projections, instead of the distorted / colonial old ones, like for example the #EqualEarth map…
Pirmin @implgeo zeigte diese interessante Animation zur Größenverzerrung in der typischen Merkator Abbildung:
https://pretalx.com/fossgis2025/talk/ZX78NN/
https://pka.github.io/farewell-web-mercator/#/gr%C3%B6ssenverzerrung
Das erinnerte mich direkt an die Quincunx Projektion, die Hörmann vor Jahren schon mal in den Ring warf.
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincunx-Kartenprojektion
Pirmin schlägt übrigens #equalearth als Projektion für globale Karten vor - gute Wahl!
[edit: @ link, equalearth hinzu]
Mercator Misconceptions - Clever Map Shows the True Size of Countries [Especially In High Latitudes]
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https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mercator-map-true-size-of-countries/ <-- shared technical article
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https://equal-earth.com/ <-- shared Equal Earth map projection details [the poster’s recommended global projection for many use cases]
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[note the ‘true’ size of high latitude landmasses like Greenland and Canada (and Russia as well); note also that the Mercator Projection was not / is not a ‘tool of colonialism’, geopolitics or the like, it was/is ‘simply’ a very clever projection to aid in marine navigation]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #projection #Greenland #Canada #Russia #size #landarea #projection #mapprojection #JustSayNoToGallPeters #equalarea #Mercator #marine #nautical #navigation #spheroid #globe #area #shape #direction #equalearth #Africa #rhomb #rhomblines
"Farewell Web Mercator". Slides of my talks at #SOTMEU2024 are available online: https://pka.github.io/farewell-web-mercator/
#OSM #SOTMEU #StateoftheMapEurope #EqualEarth #Projection
A #map in the #wild. Turned around this evening in the #pub #urinal (not before I’d finished!) to see this peeling #wall paint. Can you see a #Mercator northern hemisphere #global projection here? It struck me immediately!
FYI I hate Mercator projections. If I’m forced to put #north at the top of my maps, then I choose #EqualEarth projections. I disavow Mercator’s #imperialist #global view of the world. As a #medieval (ist) #East is always top of any map I draw anyway! #Orientate your #Maps.
Nostalgia – Cartography & Projections On Network TV’s ‘West Wing’
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https://youtu.be/UPaca-SrvEk?si=vhY84Z-_KopnQ083
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Cool to see map geekiness pop up on network TV drama a few years back
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• I am NOT a fan of the the Galls Peters - thinking that the Equal Earth Projection (https://equal-earth.com/) is vastly superior technically and ‘aesthetically pleasing’
• The 1569 Mercator projection was NOT designed as a ‘tool of cultural oppression’, that is a persistent myth - but rather was "... the standard map projection for navigation because it is unique in representing north as up and south as down everywhere while preserving local directions and shapes...”
• As a Trekkie, I also love that the actor John Billingsley - who plays Dr Flox - is the ‘lead scientist’…
#GIS #spatial #mapping #cartography #projection #mapprojections #gischat #StarTrek #WestWing #networkTV #TV #EqualEarth #mapping #representation #mapgeeks #mapgeekiness #mercator #rhumblines #navigation #usecase #marine #shape #area #distance
![African Union joins "Correct the Map" campaign
[Image of Equal Earth projection vs. Mercator projection, showing actual sizes of countries without the Mercator projection distortion favoring the northern hemisphere.]](https://files.mastodon.social/cache/media_attachments/files/115/107/649/446/090/306/original/30bdc8f5cd0fd316.png)
