The "3rd world" is huge. Anyone who thinks otherwise is clearly in need of a less-misleading map.
On a traditional Mercator projection Africa looks to be smaller than the United States and Canada combined. In reality Africa is 50% larger - and those are the 2nd-largest and 3rd-largest countries in the world!
I don’t know who “we” is, but seeing as this map was made in the 1500s by a European there is certainly an argument to be made that it is rooted in a Euro-centric view of the world.
Obviously. Every projection will be off. Unless you are a 15th-century sailor, there is no reason to favor the Mercator projection over any other one. Sticking with it is also a political choice.
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Typical. They're trying to make the 3rd world huge
The "3rd world" is huge. Anyone who thinks otherwise is clearly in need of a less-misleading map.
On a traditional Mercator projection Africa looks to be smaller than the United States and Canada combined. In reality Africa is 50% larger - and those are the 2nd-largest and 3rd-largest countries in the world!
They're huge if you look at area, but what about other axes?
Why do you think that the accurate size isn't worth representing?
It's mathematically impossible. Political mathematics always ends well
Political mathematics like the Mercator projection which shrunk Africa to an unrealistic degree?
Is that why we adopted the Mercator projection? No, it's not
I don’t know who “we” is, but seeing as this map was made in the 1500s by a European there is certainly an argument to be made that it is rooted in a Euro-centric view of the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/04/un-vote-world-...
Obviously. Every projection will be off. Unless you are a 15th-century sailor, there is no reason to favor the Mercator projection over any other one. Sticking with it is also a political choice.