UN General Assembly backs map projection that better reflects Africa’s size

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday endorsed a world map projection intended to represent Africa’s size more accurately, following a campaign led by African countries and advocacy groups.

The resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union members, passed with 164 countries in favour. The United States was the only country to vote against it, while Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained.

It encourages governments and institutions to replace the traditional Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection. The resolution does not ban Mercator maps or require their replacement, the UN said.

Advocates and geographers say the Mercator projection, widely used since the 16th century, distorts the relative size of landmasses. Greenland and Africa appear roughly the same size on a Mercator map, while the Equal Earth projection shows Africa as 14 times larger than Greenland.

Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said before the vote that maps shape how people understand the world, guide education and influence collective perceptions. Africa No Filter, a leading campaigner for the change, said it wants accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and digital platforms.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said changing the map does not change the world, but correcting a distorted representation is an act of truth. Mercator was designed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to aid European sea navigation, but critics say it enlarges regions near the poles, including North America and Greenland, while shrinking Africa and South America.

The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, follows the Earth’s curvature and depicts continents in their true proportions. Syracuse University geography professor Mark Monmonier said the Mercator projection is useful for navigation but has no purpose outside that narrow application.