Africa is about three times larger than Canada and more than one and a half the size of Russia, yet the Mercator projection has long made students think those countries are comparable in size — or even larger — than Africa reut.rs/4nx5ocj
Replies
Africa is a continent right?
sep 3, 2025, 12:35 pm • 6 0 • view
This is common knowledge to anyone who took geography classes into later high school and actually paid attention. Stop justifying morons who played social games in school more than learned.
sep 3, 2025, 12:53 pm • 8 0 • view
An American pupil at a school I taught at (in Norway) was told this and he threw a fit. He would not accept that the US wasn't "biggest and grestest nation on earth."
sep 3, 2025, 4:33 pm • 0 0 • view
Interesting, bc I’m from lowly Mississippi and even I was taught this 🤷🏼♀️
sep 3, 2025, 10:59 pm • 1 0 • view
You could almost fit the US 3x in Africa acc. to the map provided.
sep 4, 2025, 7:16 am • 0 0 • view
Yes, that’s the exact point that the post is making.
sep 4, 2025, 1:12 pm • 0 0 • view
It’s about time!!!
sep 3, 2025, 12:16 pm • 1 0 • view
The Peter’s Map was published about 40 years ago. It redistributed the land masses in accordance with their actual size. No one seemed very interested at the time.
sep 4, 2025, 11:05 am • 0 0 • view
Over 50 years ago, and boy were they interested at the time! Arno Peters was the supreme grifter: the one talent he had was for self-promotion.
sep 5, 2025, 8:31 am • 1 0 • view
So, The Peter’s Map wasn’t legit?
sep 5, 2025, 10:51 am • 0 0 • view
All map projections are legit, but Gall-Peters (as it's now called, since Peters simply ripped off Gall's design from the 19th Century) is not exactly the most elegant equal-area projection. The new Equal Earth projection is much better, for instance.
sep 6, 2025, 7:06 am • 0 0 • view
Ok, thanks for the information. I didn’t know any of this. 👍🏻
sep 7, 2025, 12:30 am • 1 0 • view
The way maps depict countries influences perception of importance and power.
sep 3, 2025, 12:20 pm • 12 0 • view
I bet Trump would be less interested in Greenland if he knew the true size.
sep 3, 2025, 2:02 pm • 1 0 • view
It’s not the size of Greenland he wants though it’s just a power move.
sep 3, 2025, 2:03 pm • 0 0 • view
I don't agree. Nobody has ever thought big means more important until recently - quite the opposite: powerful countries are traditionally small, while big countries are dominated by deserts, mountains, tundra.
sep 5, 2025, 8:26 am • 0 0 • view
That's true: when I think of the world I imagine that flat map, not the globe
sep 3, 2025, 1:36 pm • 0 0 • view
Oy vey Reuters.... Africa is not a country. Elementary knowledge may one day elevate the quality of reporting. One day...
sep 3, 2025, 5:29 pm • 0 0 • view
I can remember every classroom growing up, had a globe of the world, which depicts countries their approximate size because of the longitude and latitude lines I also remember the teachers telling us that flat maps distort the size of countries
sep 3, 2025, 12:56 pm • 8 0 • view
Yeah. Also Madagascar vs Greenland
sep 4, 2025, 12:43 am • 1 0 • view
We have silently been brainwashed for years. Good thing that Africa complains about it
sep 3, 2025, 12:49 pm • 1 0 • view
The amount of you trying to “well actually” a post that you’ve failed to comprehend is the exact problem with the world right now. They never stated Africa is a country. They stated many countries are depicted the size of the continent or Africa and then showed how wrong that depiction is.
sep 3, 2025, 11:01 pm • 1 0 • view
A very poor statement. Mercator hasn't made any students think that, unless those students didn't pay attention. Ignorance is no excuse.
sep 5, 2025, 8:24 am • 0 0 • view
This is common knowledge. The bigger problem is that common knowledge itself seems uncommon.
sep 4, 2025, 4:29 am • 2 0 • view
I get the premise and I understand the constraints / issues with different projection methods but, why compare a continent to a country, apples and oranges surely?
sep 3, 2025, 12:08 pm • 5 0 • view
Cause they look the same size on that map and Americans might at least have some idea of where Canada is.
sep 3, 2025, 12:51 pm • 4 0 • view
You might think that, but Trump's elections brought to surface the fact that apparently many think Canada is south of them (surveys were done when they wanted to build a wall with us). US needs to strengthen their public education instead of dismantling it as they are doing.
sep 3, 2025, 1:14 pm • 3 0 • view
Americans don’t take those surveys seriously and often put stupid answers for kicks. There was a study released about it when I was in uni about how they shouldn’t be used for data collection anymore because of it
sep 3, 2025, 10:57 pm • 0 0 • view
Because when the countries are reduced to their proper proportions so too do the corresponding continents shrink in turn, making all land masses proportionally more accurate and returns Africa’s geological/mineral and other types of significance to where it belongs.
sep 3, 2025, 12:23 pm • 0 0 • view
China is very well aware and ahead of the game. Russia already turned with Wagner but after the little mutiny that's failed
sep 3, 2025, 12:50 pm • 0 0 • view
Can’t underestimate its legacy historical social/cultural/scientific impact/significance either.
sep 3, 2025, 12:54 pm • 1 0 • view
👌🏻
sep 3, 2025, 12:14 pm • 0 0 • view
That's not what I learned in school (1958–1969). But I also live in Germany.
sep 3, 2025, 12:37 pm • 2 0 • view
Seriously. Do people not look at globes?
sep 3, 2025, 12:25 pm • 2 0 • view
Also - Canada and Russia are countries, Africa is a continent. Reuters can you be serious please? There are certain lessons that are learn when you are 7, and if the teacher does a good job, is not easily forgotten, such as the Earth is not flat.
sep 3, 2025, 1:12 pm • 5 0 • view
They aren’t calling it a country just because they are comparing it to countries that are depicted at being huge. If you’d let go of your need to argue, you’d see the point is very clear that they are saying this projection is purposefully aimed at making certain countries seem larger than they are
sep 3, 2025, 10:56 pm • 2 0 • view
If the point of the projection were to make certain countries bigger, then it would be useless as a map. Also, why would they make Europe dwarfed by the Arctic?
sep 5, 2025, 8:29 am • 0 0 • view
This kind of interesting fact would surely hold the attention of students better than just following the standard textbook. Have just one day when you compare different types of world maps and compare their pros and cons.
sep 3, 2025, 1:24 pm • 1 0 • view
I never once thought that lol
sep 3, 2025, 12:07 pm • 1 0 • view
Africa being smaller on the Mercator projection map is unintentionally protecting it from the notice of incredibly foolish world leaders.
sep 3, 2025, 12:14 pm • 1 0 • view
except its not. China is all over them. Russia tried but with the demise of Wagner, it looks to be failed. Where do you think the US is gonna go now?
sep 3, 2025, 12:50 pm • 1 0 • view
I am being more specific about Trump, and his recent bizarre fascination with a big-looking Greenland, than you are with regards to exploitation of Africa in general. Sorry, I live in the US... it's on our minds a lot.
sep 3, 2025, 1:06 pm • 1 0 • view
Mercator is just ridiculous
sep 3, 2025, 12:59 pm • 2 0 • view
Only morons think it’s ridiculous.
sep 3, 2025, 1:34 pm • 2 0 • view