In 1569, Flemish mapmaker Gerardus Mercator synthesized existing ideas in navigation and cartography to create a new type of world map. It has stood the test of time: Billions of people would ...

DAKAR, Senegal — On the Mercator projection, one of the world’s most popular maps, Greenland and Africa appear to be about the same size. But on the Equal Earth projection showing continents in their ...

The African Union endorsed a map that reflects the truer relative size of the continent. (map public domain via Equal Earth) Already a member? Sign in here. We rely on readers like you to fund our ...

African nations are demanding that the 'distorted' world map be redrawn to show the true scale of the continent that they argue has been misrepresented for centuries. The African Union (AU) has backed ...

The African Union has joined a campaign calling for the widely-used Mercator map, which makes Africa appear smaller than it is, to be replaced with a map that more accurately reflects the continent's ...

The Mercator map, first created in the 16th century, has long been the standard map used for navigation and education, but it stretches land masses farther from the equator. For example, Greenland ...

For generations, schools, media outlets and decision-makers have relied on a familiar world map. It has become a global standard, seen everywhere from classroom posters to government buildings. But ...

Do you know how big Africa really is? According to experts, most of us don’t, and it’s because the maps we grew up with weren’t telling the full story. Earlier this month, the African Union endorsed a ...

Scientists warn the Strait of Gibraltar could eventually vanish, reconnecting Europe and Africa as tectonic plates shift ...

The Mercator projection, a centuries-old map style from the age of sail, still prevails in the internet age. Here’s what the African Union wants to use instead ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

African nations are demanding that the 'distorted' world map be redrawn to show the true scale of the continent that they argue has been misrepresented for centuries. The African Union (AU) has backed ...