The United Nations General Assembly has officially endorsed an accurate world map. This new projection aims to better represent the true sizes of global landmasses. Only the United States opposed this significant cartographic shift.
On Friday, 164 nations voted in favor of adopting the Equal Earth cartographic projection. Six countries abstained, while the U.S. cast the sole dissenting vote. This decision concludes a years-long effort to revise the planet’s standard visual representation.
The resolution, championed by several African countries, highlights the Equal Earth map’s ability. It offers “a more accurate representation of the sizes of continental landmasses.” Therefore, it serves as a crucial option for enhancing world cartography.
Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, emphasized the profound influence of maps. “They shape our understanding of the world,” he stated at the UN. Maps guide education, fuel imagination, and impact collective perceptions.
Moreover, maps are never neutral. Distorted planetary images risk perpetuating inaccurate representations across generations, Dussey explained. For example, traditional maps vastly misrepresent Africa’s size compared to Greenland.
The resolution encourages countries to adopt the Equal Earth projection. It aims to replace the long-standing Mercator projection, devised by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. The Mercator map excels at depicting accurate shapes and angles, which is vital for navigation.
However, the Mercator projection significantly distorts relative sizes. Landmasses near the poles appear much larger, while those closer to the equator look smaller. Consequently, Greenland often seems as large as Africa, despite Africa being approximately 14 times greater in area.
Dussey attributed the Mercator projection’s widespread use to colonization. “The world is changing,” he remarked, “Africa also is changing.” Togo plans to update its school maps by year-end.
France, a co-sponsor of the resolution, also pledged to abandon the Mercator projection. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noted its disproportionate visual prominence for the U.S., Russia, and China. Meanwhile, Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia appear visually diminished.
Barrot acknowledged that changing maps alone does not change the world. Nevertheless, he asserted that “correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.” An accurate world map fosters a more equitable global perspective.
The online campaign group #CorrectTheMap supported the new projection. It illustrated Africa’s vastness: “You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare.”
This UN General Assembly vote is not legally binding. Furthermore, it does not challenge the Mercator projection’s continued use for maritime and aerial navigation, where it remains entirely suitable, France’s ministry clarified.
The United States, as the sole opposing nation, labeled the Equal Earth projection a “distraction.” U.S. representative Yaryna Ferencevych argued it pushed an “ideological agenda.” She stated it diverted attention from “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations.”
Ahead of the vote, Ferencevych commented that the body was debating “map projects from the 16th century” instead of focusing on real issues. Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Morocco, Serbia, and Ukraine were among the countries that abstained from the vote.
