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An overwhelming majority of the United Nations’ 193 member states voted to approve a resolution endorsing a new world map that displays the African continent at its true relative scale. Togo introduced the request on behalf of 53 member states of the African Union, following the August 2025 launch of the ‘Correct the Map’ campaign by two non-governmental organizations.
Why the Five-Century-Old Mercator Projection Is Being Challenged
The standard global map currently in widespread use relies on the Mercator projection, a 500-year-old cartographic system named after its creator, the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator. While Mercator’s design proved exceptionally useful for marine navigation because it allows compass lines to be drawn as straight routes, it severely distorts landmass sizes. Areas near the poles appear disproportionately large, while regions near the equator appear significantly smaller. On a standard Mercator map, Greenland and Africa appear roughly equal in size, even though Africa is actually fourteen times larger. Campaign organizers argue that this visual distortion represents a form of “colonial cartography” used by wealthy Western nations to diminish the rest of the world geographically.
Did you know? If you placed the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and a portion of Europe inside the African continent simultaneously, there would still be empty space left over, according to ‘Equal Earth projection’ advocates.
The Shift Toward the Equal Earth Projection Standard
To fix these geographical inaccuracies, proponents are pushing for the adoption of the ‘Equal Earth projection’, a map developed in 2018 that represents countries and continents with true-to-life proportions. African Union members describe the new map as less “westerly oriented.” Togo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Robert Dussey, stated that the map adjustment is a scientific matter rather than a political dispute. French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot announced prior to the vote that France supports the Equal Earth projection to ensure the world is represented with “accuracy.”
UN Resolution and Implementation Hurdles
United Nations resolutions are not legally binding, meaning the transition to the new map will not happen overnight and must proceed in phases. Nearly all electronic mapping systems currently active across the globe rely on variants of the Mercator map. The United States cast the sole opposing vote, while six nations, including Ukraine, abstained from voting.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why does Africa look small on standard maps? Standard maps use the Mercator projection, which enlarges landmasses near the poles and shrinks areas near the equator.
- Which countries opposed the UN map resolution? The United States cast the only opposing vote against the resolution, while six countries abstained.
- What map will replace the Mercator projection? Proponents and supporting nations like France advocate for the ‘Equal Earth projection’, developed in 2018.
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