U.N. approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa’s true size
The United Nations has passed a resolution supporting the use of the Equal Earth map projection to more accurately represent the size of African nations. The initiative, led by Togo, aims to move away from the Mercator projection, which significantly distorts the scale of continents near the poles.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in global cartographic standards, aiming to address historical biases in how geography is taught and perceived.
The United Nations on Friday (September 4, 2026) voted for a shift away from the 16th-century Mercator global map towards one more accurately reflecting countries’ true size, a resolution sponsored by African states to counter perceptions that the continent is peripheral.
Togo led the initiative to further the African Union campaign to limit use of the Mercator map, which distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles. It makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa, though Africa is about 14 times larger.
“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote.
The resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately portrays the size of the continents.
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