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FIFTY-ONE

INACCURATE MAP TRUE SIZE

OF COUNTRIES

Let's cut through the illusion: the maps we plaster on our classroom walls and in our textbooks are fundamentally flawed. I bet you assumed the map of the world used today would be correct. And it's not. The map we use is not an accurate map of the world, not at all. The world map is wrong and not a true reflection of the country sizes. If the country sizes are incorrect, how are we to believe their locations are correct? 

Mercator Map

The main map in use is Mercator. Mercator grossly exaggerates the size of lands near the poles, giving rise to a skewed global north. 

The Mercator projection is a relic of the past that distorts the real size, shape, and positioning of continents and countries. It's a pervasive error that skews our global perspective and cultivates a distorted worldview. 

Why does Russia look so big on the map?

Did you know Africa is MUCH LARGER than Russia? 

• Africa is approximately 30.37 million square km in size, making it the second-largest continent in the world.
• Russia, the largest country by land area, covers about 17.1 million square km.

This means Africa is nearly twice the size of Russia, highlighting the significant distortion often presented in conventional Mercator projection maps. Such maps exaggerate the size of countries closer to the poles, like Russia, and diminish those near the equator, like Africa, skewing our perception of their true scale.

On the typical Mercator map, Africa's immense land area is shockingly compressed, obscuring the reality that it can comfortably accommodate the U.S., China, India, and much more within its borders. This diminution is more than misleading; it's a serious misrepresentation that affects our overstanding of global scale and relevance.

On Mercator maps, Greenland appears almost as large as South America, a blatant distortion given that South America is nearly eight times larger. This isn't a harmless oversight; these distortions are not mere errors; they are a testament to the pervasive geographical misrepresentations. Question, if foundational knowledge such as geography has inaccuracies, what else might be skewed in the information we were taught or we are teaching today?

You may want to ask:

"Why don't they want you to know how large Africa is?"

The second question you may want to ask is,

"Why do they want you to perceive Russia as larger than it is?"

It is to direct perception of “power dynamics."

Now ask, do you fear what is happening in Russia because you believe it to be big and powerful? If you knew Russia was half the size the “the system” would like you to think, would you still think it was as powerful?

Or Africa – Africa is a lot more powerful than the map lets on. Ask, why does the map not represent Africa as large and powerful as it actually is? Could this be because “they” don't want you thinking or knowing how powerful Africa is? Africa, as well as the people from Africa, have been downplayed in importance in far more than simple inequality in the job hiring process that you have likely heard about. Why is such a large, powerful country not properly depicted?

These points are made to have you question the power dynamics of the world and who or where is put on a pedestal to seem more important, large, or more powerful and who or where is not.

Fun Facts:

• United States and Africa: The United States only covers 32.4 percent of Africa's total land area.
• China and Africa: China's size is approximately 31.6 percent of Africa's, contrasting sharply with common misconceptions.
• Australia and Canada: Australia is much larger than many people realize; its actual size covers a significant portion of Canada.
• Japan and Canada: Japan's length, if stretched out, spans across the width of Canada.
• Texas and Alaska: Contrary to popular belief, Texas and Alaska are almost the same size when Alaska's size is not exaggerated by Mercator projections.

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