Why in the News?

The African Union (AU) has endorsed the Correct the Map campaign to replace the 16th-century Mercator projection with more accurate maps.

African Union (AU) and the Mercator Map Debate

About the African Union (AU):

Establishment: Formed in 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (1963).
Membership: 55 African countries.
Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Vision: “An Integrated, Prosperous, and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens.”
Agenda 2063: Blueprint for socio-economic growth and continental unity.
Main Organs: Assembly, Executive Council, AU Commission, Peace and Security Council.

Creation: Designed in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator.
Projection: Cylindrical map with straight longitude and latitude lines intersecting at 90°.
Purpose: Enabled sailors to plot straight-line courses for compass navigation.
Adoption: Became the standard map in schools, atlases, and wall charts by the 19th century.

Distortion: Enlarges high-latitude regions (Europe, Russia, North America) while shrinking Africa and South America.
Example: Greenland appears equal to Africa, though Africa is ~14 times larger.
Colonial Bias: Reinforced Western dominance narratives and downplayed Africa’s size and importance.
Impact: Supported marginalisation and exploitation during colonialism.
Alternatives: Gall-Peters (1970s) and Equal Earth (2018) projections show continents in correct proportion.
AU Stand: Advocates replacing Mercator maps to restore Africa’s rightful global image.

[UPSC 2024] The longest border between any two countries in the world is between:

Options: (a) Canada and the USA * (b) Chile and Argentina (c) China and India (d) Kazakhstan and Russian Federation