00:00Do you think this is just a neutral map?
00:02The African Union says no.
00:04It also reflects power dynamics, because size matters.
00:08So it pushed for a different projection.
00:09And most of the world agreed.
00:11Let's map that out.
00:12Quick recap.
00:13On behalf of the African Union, Togo took the issue to the United Nations, calling for
00:17a vote on a more accurate world map.
00:20Six countries abstained and only one said no.
00:24The non-binding resolution urges countries to move away from the map named after this
00:28guy.
00:28The Mercator projection from 1569.
00:31Instead, they should go for the so-called equal earth projection or similar ones with more
00:36realistic proportions.
00:38But what's wrong with Mercator?
00:39After all, Google Maps still uses a modified version of it.
00:42So on Mercator, Greenland looks almost as big as Africa, even though in reality it's about
00:4814 times smaller.
00:49And it's also shaped differently.
00:51Why?
00:52Because the closer you get to the poles, the greater the distortion.
00:55That's why, over the years, Mercator has fallen out of favor with many.
00:59Time for a disclaimer.
01:00Every world map has its flaws.
01:02Because, yes, the earth is round.
01:04So when you turn a globe into a rectangular map, it gets tricky.
01:08Some parts need to stretch, shrink or move.
01:11Critics say there's more to Mercator's map.
01:13The original use is for navigation.
01:16And there it's a great map for sure.
01:18But we also have to recognize that the navigation that we're talking about in the 16, 17 and ongoing
01:24centuries is navigation that helps European powers to colonize the world.
01:30And look what Mercator inflates.
01:32Europe, Russia, parts of North America, while much of the global south appears smaller.
01:38The African Union argues Equal Earth offers fairer representation.
01:43Correcting the map, therefore, also means correcting a perception.
01:47By the way, France, a former colonial power, has already agreed to shrink, officially ditching Mercator.
01:53Remember, every world map is a compromise.
01:56We, for example, use a Winkle triple projection,
01:58which also shows proportions more accurately than Mercator.
02:01It's also not unusual for countries to favor maps that put their own region at the center.
02:06Last year, Brazil's geography agency released a projection that put the global south at the top.
02:12And maps help shape the story.
02:14Take China.
02:14In 2014, it rolled out this vertical map.
02:17The Atlantic world is pushed to the edges and shows China's proximity to the Arctic.
02:22Coincidence or not, a few years later, China promoted its Polar Silk Road and started
02:26calling itself a near-Arctic state.
02:28But back to the Equal Earth projection.
02:31For Africa, it's one step towards reclaiming the continent's global position.
02:34While the US called the resolution part of a radical ideological project.
02:39India, Japan and Ukraine took issue with how disputed territories were shown
02:42on the maps version with country borders.
02:44Well, maps can be polarizing.
02:48It's different from the building.
02:48Yes.
02:48It's different from the development of India.
02:48There are no different things, others.
02:49We need to look at the distress of the reptile everywhere.
02:49We need to look at the lineage of theian.
02:49It looks like the
