Published on: 2026-09-04
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
4 September 2026 Culture and Education
For centuries, the world map familiar to many generations depicted Africa as significantly smaller than it actually is. On Friday, the overwhelming majority of countries in the United Nations supported the initiative to change this representation
The United Nations General Assembly approved a proposal initiated by African countries to change the way the world is depicted on maps. In the vote, 164 countries supported the resolution aimed at using maps that more accurately reflect the sizes of continents. The only vote against came from the United States, which called the initiative part of a “radical ideological project.” Six countries – Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine – abstained.
The resolution does not prohibit the Mercator projection and does not establish a replacement for it. This projection is the most widely used method in the world to depict the spherical Earth on a flat map, accurately preserving directions, which is convenient for navigation, but significantly distorts the sizes of territories, especially closer to the poles.
The UN resolution calls on governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to use the Equal Earth projection and other so-called equal-area maps in cases where it is important to consider the relative sizes of territories.
Behind this seemingly technical dispute lies a broader question: did the map created for European navigators in the 16th century distort not only geography but also the historical perceptions of Africa?
“Maps shape our understanding of the world,” stated Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey before the vote. “They define education, fuel imagination, and influence collective perception.”
Public Domain A 17th-century world map made in the Mercator projection.
Shrunken continent
The Flemish cartographer Gerard Mercator developed his projection in 1569 to solve the practical problem of maritime navigation. Since straight lines on his map correspond to constant compass directions, sailors could use them to chart routes.
However, the preservation of directions was achieved at the expense of the accuracy of areas. The further a territory is from the equator, the more it is enlarged. For example, Greenland on such a map can appear roughly comparable in size to Africa, even though Africa is about 14 times larger. Northern Europe and North America, according to Mercator, are also significantly enlarged compared to regions located near the equator.
Despite its original navigational purpose, the Mercator projection is still widely used in educational, media, digital, and official materials. The resolution states that such distortions contributed to the “symbolic shrinking” of Africa and supported an unbalanced representation of the world.
Togo was led in negotiations at the UN General Assembly on behalf of a group of African countries supported by the African Union. The resolution calls the correction of such distortions “an act of restoring cognitive justice and redressing the damage that occurred,” citing Equal Earth, developed in 2018, as the projection that more accurately reflects the relative sizes of the continents.
Dusse emphasized that this initiative is not specifically directed against the Mercator projection, whose practical usefulness for navigation he acknowledged, and is not aimed at imposing a single worldview.
“A fair map does not change the geography of the world – it changes how we see the world,” he emphasized.
USA: this is an “ideological project”
The United States saw a political intent in this initiative.
“This resolution mocks the work and purpose of this organization [referring to the UN – editor’s note],” said the US representative. According to him, the initiative presented as a harmless attempt to update proportions on maps is part of a “much larger and more radical ideological project.”
The American diplomat specifically noted the references to reparations and “cognitive justice” contained in the resolution, calling such initiatives “growths attached to our work and the reason why this organization is losing trust.”
Russia, the USA, and France will appear smaller
France took the opposite position. A few hours before the vote, the country’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced that France plans to abandon the Mercator projection on its world maps, joining a broad initiative promoted by the African Union.
As a result, France itself, like the United States and Russia, will appear smaller compared to familiar maps. This clearly illustrates the political aspect of the dispute. Equally sized maps do not make Africa larger – they eliminate the size exaggeration that the Mercator projection creates for territories located closer to the poles.
The problem of state borders
Ukraine stated that it supports efforts to correct historical distortions affecting Africa and other parts of the Global South, but expressed objections to how some maps using Equal Earth depict Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
A Ukrainian representative warned that approving this projection without sufficient guarantees could open a “Pandora’s box,” allowing maps to create ambiguity around disputed territories.
The European Union supported the resolution but expressed similar concerns. Speaking on behalf of the EU, Ireland emphasized that this measure concerns only the relative size of territories and does not in any way affect issues of sovereignty, territorial status, or internationally recognized borders. The EU representative also stated that support for the resolution does not imply automatic approval of the maps presented on the Equal Earth website.
The Mercator projection will not disappear anywhere
Essentially, the General Assembly resolution acknowledges a fundamental problem that no vote can solve. No projection can perfectly reproduce the curved surface of the Earth on a plane. Each sacrifices something—area, shape, distance, or direction—and all of them are suitable for different purposes.
The UN General Assembly resolution is non-binding, and the Mercator projection will not disappear anywhere. However, the vote on Friday demonstrated overwhelming international support for the argument increasingly advanced by African countries: the choice embedded in maps can influence how generations of people perceive the world around them.
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