Africa is much bigger than most maps show, and a new campaign wants that fixed

That distortion, common on the widely used Mercator projection, is driving a campaign led by African advocacy groups and now backed by the African Union. Africa appears too small on most modern mapsThe backstory:The Mercator map was created in the 16th century by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Google Maps switched to a 3D globe view on desktop in 2018, though the mobile app still defaults to the Mercator projection. Groups campaign to replace the global mapThe other side:Two African advocacy groups, Africa No Filter and Speak Up Africa, launched the "Change The Map" campaign in April. Geographers say the Mercator projection is outdatedWhat they're saying:Mark Monmonier, a geography professor at Syracuse University, told the AP that the Mercator projection no longer has practical use.