The Truth Revealed: Is the world map we know wrong?
An investigation was carried out, bringing to light a shocking reality concerning the map of the world we’ve always known. Indeed, there is a significant distortion between the size of countries, altering our perception of reality. How was this false map created, and why is it being maintained? Let’s discover the real issues behind this cartographic representation.
The origins of the world map
In 1569, a Spanish merchant by the name of Gerardo Mercator drew up a map of the world that is widely used today. This map, known as the “Mercator projection”, is the one that has long been studied in geography schools, through which we can learn about our countries and the rest of the world. It had been designed with navigation in mind, to facilitate the voyages of European traders to Africa and America during the triangular trade. The latter was revolutionary and much appreciated by its fellow creatures.
However, this map has a glaring distortion, drastically reducing the size of countries located in equatorial regions and giving exponential size to northern countries. Also, during the First World War, Mercator’s map was deemed strategically and globally dangerous, mainly by New Work time and many other publications, as it was not correct and therefore hindered the bombardment of enemy territories by warplanes.
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Revelations from James Gall and Arnold Peter
It wasn’t until 1855 that geographer James Gall challenged Mercator’s map and proposed a fairer alternative. It was he who pointed out these obvious distortions, but was not taken into account. In the 1970s, German historian Arnold Peter came out strongly in support of James Gall’s theory, claiming that Mercator’s map was Euro-centric and reinforced the idea of Western imperialism. Unfortunately, it was also ignored, since the old map benefited Westerners anyway and aligned with their personal interests. Despite these revelations, Mercator’s map continues to be used and taught, fuelling distorted perceptions of the size and importance of countries.
The power of mental perception
The misrepresentation of the size of countries has a major psychological impact on our perception of the world, especially in our societies where humans categorize things according to their size as opposed to their importance. When we see certain countries larger than others on the map, this indirectly influences our perception of their importance and power. Therefore, it is crucial to become aware of this manipulation and recognize the true greatness of each nation. Our value and power are not measured by what we can see on the map.
The evils of misleading trust
Moreover, to claim our legitimate rights, it’s essential to develop a certain level of self-confidence. Unfortunately, from childhood we are conditioned to perceive some countries as more powerful than others. The portrayal of a white God in religions and the valorization of mastery of French as a sign of intelligence are examples of what we believe in things inculcated from childhood. We need to challenge these preconceptions.
So the map of the world we’ve always known is not a faithful representation of reality. Voluntary distortions in country size have profound implications for our perception of the world and our self-confidence. It’s time to question these manipulations and rethink our understanding of the world around us.
Totally inspired by Zack Mwekassa’s video
