A New Perspective On Africa
“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa- for he has so much to look forward to.”- Rich Mullins
The continent of Africa is one of the most under recognized and under appreciated gems of the world. In the past, the continent of Africa was seen as barbaric and hopelessly primitive. Many believe the media propaganda that this continent is impoverished and under populated. By taking a deeper look at some often under-represented aspects of this great continent I realized that Africa is a magnificent continent with a richer history and more prosperous future than many other places in this world. One of the biggest misconceptions about Africa is its size. Out of the three most commonly used maps, two of them distort the true size of Africa. The Robinson Projection is normally used in secondary education. The Mercator Projection is the most commonly used map in education in this country and many others.
This map greatly under-represents the true size of Africa. Looking at this map, the continent of Africa and the country of Greenland appear to be similar in size. The two are actually very different. Greenland is 800,000 square miles, while Africa is 11,700,000 square miles. This distorted view causes many to underestimate the size, vastness, and resources of Africa. Many do not realize that the continent of Africa is so large that it could fit the United States, India, China, Argentina, New Zealand, and the complete continent
“The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa- for he has so much to look forward to.”- Rich Mullins
The continent of Africa is one of the most under recognized and under appreciated gems of the world. In the past, the continent of Africa was seen as barbaric and hopelessly primitive. Many believe the media propaganda that this continent is impoverished and under populated. By taking a deeper look at some often under-represented aspects of this great continent I realized that Africa is a magnificent continent with a richer history and more prosperous future than many other places in this world. One of the biggest misconceptions about Africa is its size. Out of the three most commonly used maps, two of them distort the true size of Africa. The Robinson Projection is normally used in secondary education. The Mercator Projection is the most commonly used map in education in this country and many others.
This map greatly under-represents the true size of Africa. Looking at this map, the continent of Africa and the country of Greenland appear to be similar in size. The two are actually very different. Greenland is 800,000 square miles, while Africa is 11,700,000 square miles. This distorted view causes many to underestimate the size, vastness, and resources of Africa. Many do not realize that the continent of Africa is so large that it could fit the United States, India, China, Argentina, New Zealand, and the complete continent