The maps of the world you’ve been looking at all your life are wrong and should be replaced, according to a group promoting a new map that more accurately shows Africa as the second largest continent.

Most maps in use are based on a cylindrical map projection developed in 1569 by a Flemish cartographer, Gerardus Mercator, to help Europeans navigate the seas. While the map is very useful for navigation, it paints an inaccurate picture of the real world.

These so-called Mercator maps largely preserve the shape of landmasses but distort their size — with areas farther away from the equator appearing disproportionately larger. That has left northern countries like Canada and Russia appearing much larger than they actually are while Africa appears much smaller than it is in reality.

The group Correct the Map says that Africa could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe into its space and have land to spare. They claim current maps cheat Africa out of power and perception.

This “colonial legacy” has distorted Africa’s identity and reshaped how the world perceives the second-largest continent, they claim. They are calling for the adoption of what is called the Equal Earth projection map to more accurately reflect the true size of Africa.

Efforts to address the size imbalance have gained little public traction over the years, even after the issue was featured on a ‘West Wing’ episode and Boston public schools decided to change to a more accurate map in social studies classes.

But now, the Africa Union has joined the call to replace the Mercator projection maps. Its 55 member states are backing the Equal Earth map.

“It might seem to be just a map, but in reality, it is not,” the deputy chairwoman of the African Union Commission, Selma Malika Haddadi, told Reuters.

Ms. Haddadi said backing an accurate map aligns with the organization’s goal of “reclaiming Africa’s rightful place on the global stage.”

Correct the Map is asking global organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank — and even the BBC — to adopt the Equal Earth map, but an online petition doesn’t show the needle moving very far on the issue. Fewer than 7,000 people have signed the petition since it was created in January.