Old European made maps that are still in common use today have promoted colonial biases for a long time.

Most world maps drawn today are based on a map created by German map maker Gerardus Mercator in 1569.The map was a great tool for sailors in those days but it unfortunately distorts the relative size of countries and continents, especially that of Africa. When land mass sizes are taken into account the true size of Africa is revealed.

The facts is that Africa is large enough to fit The United States, India, China, Eastern Europe, United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and Switzerland leaving some space to spare. Please note United States, India and China make up almost half the world’s population.

It is therefore a mystery why Africa is represented on maps as being almost the size of some of these countries.
Some sociologist say that humans equate the size of things with importance and power, in other words the bigger the better. Due to this reason it is possible that some map makers may have tried to apply this concept to with maps for their own devious motives.

Furthermore, other map makers argue that the fact that certain countries are illustrated on maps occupying a top or the northern hemisphere was only done to show a top down arrangement thus showing dominance of Western countries.

It sounds ilogical to some people only because all we know about maps we have been told by other people.The truth is that our perspective and world-view has been distorted for 400 years. However maps like the Peters Map and the Peters Atlas give alternatives views of the true size of and proportion of continents.

Imagine an upside-down world map with a giant Africa dwarfing all the other continents…. crazy but true.

Click image below to see how other countries fit into Africa.