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Several African nations are calling for the world map to be redrawn, as it makes the continent seem much smaller compared to some others. The 55-member-state African Union has claimed that the majority of maps do not properly represent the "greatness of the continent." The African bloc is now supporting campaigners who have long argued that the size of Africa on maps downplays its scale and importance.

They also claim that it makes America and Europe look larger than they actually are. Maps commonly use the Mercator projection, which dates back to the 16th century, and it enlarges land masses as they get further from the equator. As a result, Greenland looks almost the same size as Africa when it is realistically 14 times smaller.

The African Union is now supporting the Correct the Map campaign for an "Equal Earth" alternative, which "shows the continent as it really is: vast, powerful, and central to our world".

"In a world where size is often equated with power, misrepresenting Africa's true scale reinforces harmful misconceptions about its geopolitical and economic significance," the campaign says.

"You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare.

"Yet, most of the world continues to favour this distorted [Mercator] map, misrepresenting Africa's scale and diminishing its significance."

The Equal Earth map has been used in certain organisations like NASA and the World Bank.

An African Union official believes that "if Africa is seen in its true size...Africans will be able to see the greatness of the continent and be able to see how vast it is".

They added that it would also highlight the difficulties that Africa faces with trade and transport due to the continent's enormous size.

Oxford's Bodleian Libraries map curator Nick Millea said that it is impossible to accurately represent the globe on a flat surface.

"It's the age-old problem of trying to project a spherical object onto a flat surface: you can't do it. Something has got to give to come up with an image," he said.

"When it comes to area, [the Mercator projection] doesn't work. When it comes to direction, it does."