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US lone dissenter as UN votes to adopt new world map reflecting Africa's true size

Resolution backed by 164 nations passes despite American opposition; France to abandon Mercator projection

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By LineZotpaper
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The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to adopt a new world map that accurately reflects the size of Africa, with the United States the only nation to vote against the resolution. The 'Correct the Map' resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union members, was supported by 164 countries, with six abstentions. The non-binding resolution urges member states to replace the widely used Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection, which cartographers say preserves relative surface areas of continents and corrects long-standing distortions that shrink equatorial regions.

The UN vote on Friday represents a significant shift in cartographic representation. The Mercator map, designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation, has long been criticized for inflating northern regions and compressing equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger while shrinking Africa — which is actually 14 times larger than Greenland, though the Mercator map shows them as similar in size.

Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey argued that maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions. They are therefore never neutral, when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that are passed down through generation."

The resolution urges adoption of the Equal Earth projection, created by a group of cartographers in 2018. Bojan Savric, one of its creators, said that "Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe." The new map makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear much larger.

France, which co-sponsored the resolution, announced it would abandon the Mercator projection. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noted that in the Mercator map, "the United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia," adding that "changing maps obviously doesn't change the world. But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth."

The United States opposed the resolution. Ahead of the vote, US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said "instead of focusing on genuine problems, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice," calling such moves "the reason this institution is losing its credibility."

The resolution is non-binding, meaning individual institutions and governments will decide whether to adopt the new projection. The African Union adopted it in February.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The resolution challenges a map projection that has shaped global perceptions for centuries, potentially influencing how resources and development attention are allocated to equatorial regions.
  • The US being the sole dissenter highlights geopolitical divides over symbolic measures at the UN, with broader implications for the institution's credibility.
  • If widely adopted, maps in classrooms, government publications and international organizations could shift, altering how the world visually understands relative sizes of continents.

Background

The Mercator projection, created in 1569, was designed for navigation but became the default world map despite severe size distortions at high latitudes. Africa, which straddles the equator, appears significantly smaller than it is—a criticism that has grown in recent years, particularly among African nations and cartography activists. The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018 by a team including Bojan Savric, is an alternative that maintains accurate area ratios while preserving shapes as faithfully as possible. The African Union adopted it in February 2026, setting the stage for the UN resolution.

Key Perspectives

Togo and African Union supporters: Argue the Mercator projection perpetuates a colonial-era distortion that minimizes the importance of equatorial countries, and that correcting the map is an act of cognitive justice. France and co-sponsors: View the change as correcting a historical inaccuracy and improving relations with Africa, with France announcing it will abandon the Mercator projection. United States: Opposed the resolution, arguing it distracts from substantive issues and undermines the UN's credibility; US representative called it a debate about "map projects from the 16th century."

What to Watch

  • Whether other nations follow France's lead in officially abandoning the Mercator projection.
  • Impact on educational materials and national mapping agencies, as the non-binding resolution leaves adoption voluntary.
  • Potential pushback from cartographic traditionalists or countries that feel diminished by the new projection.

Sources

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Articles published under the Zotpaper byline are synthesized from multiple source publications by our AI editor and reviewed by our editorial process. Each story combines reporting from credible outlets to give readers a balanced, comprehensive view.

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US lone dissenter as UN votes to adopt new world map reflecting Africa's true size | Zotpaper