The United Nations General Assembly adopted a new world map projection on Friday, backed by 164 countries including African Union members and France. The Equal Earth projection addresses geographic distortions found in the 16th-century Mercator map by more accurately representing continental landmasses, particularly Africa.
The Cartographic Shift Away From the Mercator Standard
A yearslong international push to alter the default global perspective culminated at the United Nations General Assembly on Friday when 164 nations voted in favor of replacing the traditional map view, according to reporting from international outlets. The resolution was spearheaded by Togo and backed by the 54 member states of the African Union alongside co-sponsors including France. Six countries abstained from the vote, specifically Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Morocco, Serbia, and Ukraine.
The newly endorsed map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, offers a more accurate representation of global landmasses. Created in 2018 by a team of cartographers, the projection was designed to counter the geometric compromises inherent in the Mercator map, which was originally drafted in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to assist European explorers navigate across the world. Whenever a map of the world is drawn, compromises need to be made because it is impossible to accurately represent the surface of a globe on a two-dimensional chart.
While the Mercator projection preserves angles and shapes necessary for shipping lanes and aerial navigation, it distorts relative sizes by enlarging regions near the Earth’s poles and shrinking those near the equator. Under that traditional view, Greenland appears roughly as large as Africa, even though the African continent is actually about 14 times larger. Online campaign group #CorrectTheMap noted that you could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare. Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey stated that the Mercator projection’s use is a result of colonization, adding that the world is changing and Africa also is changing.
Diplomatic Divisions and Political Opposition at the United Nations
While the resolution secured overwhelming support, it faced isolated diplomatic resistance. The United States stood as the sole nation to vote against the measure.
United States representative Yaryna Ferencevych criticized the initiative ahead of the vote, arguing that the assembly was addressing historical cartography rather than pressing modern crises. Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th Century, and their role in promoting reparations and ‘cognitive justice’, she said during the UN session. In March, the United States was also critical when a resolution was adopted declaring the transatlantic slave trade the gravest crime against humanity.
Proponents of the shift countered that cartography carries deep cultural and educational influence. Ahead of Friday’s decision, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized the ideological weight of traditional charts during a UN briefing, stating that maps guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.
Robert Dussey, Togolese Foreign Minister, stated that a map is never neutral, adding that it shapes perceptions and influences how the place of peoples and continents in the world is understood.
Dussey also remarked that a fair world begins with a fair map, noting that Togo aims to replace the maps used in its schools by the end of the year.
Implementation and Institutional Changes Following the Non-Binding Vote
Because the UN General Assembly resolution is non-binding, it does not carry the force of international law, nor does it in no way challenge the use of Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that his ministry would stop using the Mercator map, noting that the traditional format gives the United States, Russia and China a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia.
Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister, noted that changing the map obviously does not change the world, but added that correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth.
The AU member states previously adopted the Equal Earth projection in February, declaring that it more accurately represents the sizes of all continents, particularly Africa.
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