‘A map is never neutral’: meet the cartographers who took on centuries of western bias
Equal Earth projection, adopted by the UN last week, provides an alternative to 16th-century Mercator display Three cartographers have spoken of their astonishment at the UN’s near-universal adoption of a map they created to more accurately show the sizes of Africa and Europe, even though they have received a few complaints from some disgruntled diplomats. The creators of the Equal Earth projection aimed to provide an alternative to the dominant 16th-century Mercator display, which critics have
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Equal Earth projection, adopted by the UN last week, provides an alternative to 16th-century Mercator display
Three cartographers have spoken of their astonishment at the UN’s near-universal adoption of a map they created to more accurately show the sizes of Africa and Europe, even though they have received a few complaints from some disgruntled diplomats.
The creators of the Equal Earth projection aimed to provide an alternative to the dominant 16th-century Mercator display, which critics have long faulted for giving the impression that northern hemisphere nations are larger than they are – and therefore subtly reinforcing perceptions of where global strength lies.
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About this article
- Length
- 104 words · 1 min read
- Published
- September 18, 2026
- Byline
- Oliver Holmes
- Source
- The Guardian