UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
The UN General Assembly has voted to adopt a new world map projection that more accurately represents the size of Africa. The resolution aims to correct the long-standing distortions of the 16th-century Mercator map, which significantly minimizes the size of equatorial regions.
Why it matters
This shift challenges historical cartographic biases that have influenced global perceptions of development and geopolitical importance for centuries.
The Mercator projection is the map widely used across the globe but inaccurately depicts the sizes of countries and continents/BBC
The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa.
The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK. The United States was the only nation to vote against it - and there were six abstentions.
The Mercator map, which has been in common use since the 16th Century, has come in for criticism as it shows Africa as similar in size to Greenland, even though it is 14 times larger.
Critics say this leads to the development needs and potential for countries near the equator to be minimised.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in