Brazilians’ polarization hits cartography, in new world map

The publication of a world map by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) showed that the polarization of social networks has reached cartography. While at first glance this may seem like an odd field for ideological debate, cartographic projections are in fact always political choices.

Representing a practically spherical world in two dimensions always involves choosing what to prioritize, whether that be shapes, areas, and angles, and which political conventions to adopt — as highlighted by the famous Uruguayan work “Inverted America,” which places South America as the global north as a sign of power.

The international convention at the end of the 19th century that established the meridian passing through the Greenwich Observatory in London as the zero meridian reflected British power at the time — much to the chagrin of France, which staked its own claim.

Meanwhile, the symbol of the United Nations uses the so-called “azimuthal projection,” starting from the North Pole, so that no specific country assumes the central position. Even so, the projection favors the countries that have permanent seats on the UN Security Council (U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China), as they appear less distorted than countries located on the periphery of the map.

But cartographic projections are causing significant hubbub in Brazil of late, after the new edition of Brazil’s IBGE official statistics agency’s School Geographic Atlas stuck the country front and center on the mapa mundi — something that drew indignance from Brazilians themselves.

The world map shows which countries are members of the G20 — which Brazil presides over this year — and where Brazilian diplomatic representations are located around the...