We all know the map hanging in the classroom or the small globe at home. It seems natural and obvious to us, but the truth is that it is based on a major mistake that has lasted for hundreds of years.The Mercator projection was created in the 16th century specifically for sailors, to make navigation easier for them. It worked excellently for navigation, but it caused a huge distortion in the size of the continents.
Africa, the second-largest continent in the world, appears much smaller than it really is.
A few surprising examples:- Greenland appears to be almost the same size as Africa, but in reality Africa is 14 times larger.
- Europe appears to be roughly the same size, but in reality Africa is almost 3 times larger.
- Russia is perceived as “gigantic,” yet Africa’s area is still twice as large: 30.3 million sq km versus 17.1 million sq km.
