In this episode of Africa Reacts (brought to you by Historical Africa), we will be reacting to Jane Elliot's (anti racism activist and educator) view on how the real sizes of continents are heavily distorted in world maps today.
Africa despite being bigger than most other land masses is depicted way smaller than it really is on maps.
We all grew up looking at maps, but have you ever wondered if what you've been seeing is an accurate representation of our world?
Today, we're focusing on Africa and the peculiar distortions that often occur when we try to represent its true size.
To understand this, we need to talk about map projections. The most common projection, the Mercator projection, was designed for
navigation. While it preserves straight lines and angles, it distorts the size of landmasses as you move toward the poles.
Now, let's zoom in on Africa. You might be surprised to learn that Africa is much larger than it appears on a standard map. The
commonly used Mercator projection significantly exaggerates the size of countries near the equator, making them seem smaller than
they are in reality.
This misrepresentation has real-world consequences. It perpetuates stereotypes and undermines the importance of African nations
on the global stage. It can influence perceptions of economic and political power, creating a distorted view of the continent and its
diverse countries.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário