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The UN General Assembly on Friday endorsed a new world map that represents Africa more accurately in proportion to other continents, marking the culmination of a campaign led by African countries and advocacy groups.
The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by members of the African Union, was adopted with 164 member states voting in favour. The United States was the only country to vote against it, while six countries—Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine—abstained.
The resolution encourages governments and institutions around the world to use the Equal Earth projection instead of the traditional Mercator projection, which has been widely used since the 16th century.
The Mercator projection makes Greenland and Africa appear to be roughly similar in size. By contrast, the Equal Earth projection depicts the continents in proportions closer to their actual sizes, showing Africa as about 14 times larger than Greenland.
The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection or require countries to replace it with the Equal Earth map. Rather, it encourages the wider adoption of the Equal Earth projection, according to the UN.
“Maps shape our understanding of the world,” the UN quoted Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey as saying ahead of the vote. “They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.”
Africa No Filter, one of the leading campaigners for the adoption of the new map, welcomed the resolution.
“We want to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and on the digital platforms billions of people use every day,” the organisation said.
Several countries also welcomed the decision and called for greater use of the Equal Earth projection.
“Changing the map obviously doesn’t change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X following the vote.
The Mercator projection was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to assist European navigators at sea. Critics say, however, that it significantly distorts the relative size of landmasses by enlarging areas near the poles, such as Greenland and North America, while making Africa and South America appear smaller.
Developed in 2018, the Equal Earth projection takes the Earth’s curvature into account and depicts continents in proportions closer to their actual areas.
Geographers say the Mercator projection remains useful primarily for navigation.
“Outside of that very narrow navigation application, there is no point in using it,” said Mark Monmonier, a geography professor at Syracuse University.