KUALA LUMPUR — The United Nations General Assembly has backed a move towards a world map that more accurately represents the size of continents, supporting a resolution aimed at replacing the centuries-old Mercator projection with the Equal Earth map.
The resolution, led by Togo and supported by African Union (AU) member states, was passed on Friday with 164 votes in favour, one against and six abstentions.
The non-binding resolution encourages the wider adoption of the Equal Earth projection, which presents a more accurate comparison of land masses, while acknowledging that the Mercator projection remains suitable for maritime and aviation navigation.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who championed the initiative, said the move was about correcting long-standing perceptions created by distorted maps.
“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote.
The Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, has been widely used in classrooms and navigation systems for centuries. However, critics argue that its design exaggerates the size of territories near the poles while reducing the apparent scale of countries closer to the equator.
Under the Mercator projection, Greenland appears almost as large as Africa despite the African continent being about 14 times bigger.
The campaign to adopt the Equal Earth map gained momentum after the AU’s 54 member states endorsed the projection in February, saying it “more accurately represents the sizes of all continents, particularly Africa”.
The United States was the only country to oppose the UN resolution, describing it as an ideological initiative that diverted attention from more pressing global issues.
US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said the General Assembly should focus on matters concerning peace, prosperity and international relations instead of debating historical map projections.
“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.
Togo plans school map overhaul
Dussey said Togo intends to become the first country to replace Mercator maps in its school geography materials by the end of the year.
“Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books,” he said.
“In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.”
He said Togo would encourage other governments, educational institutions, international organisations and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection.
The country also plans to engage AU members and supporters from other regions over the next six months to develop strategies for wider implementation, including discussions with companies involved in mapping, GPS and location-based technologies.
Dussey said the campaign was part of broader efforts to address colonial-era legacies, but stressed that it was not intended as criticism of Europe or any other civilisation.
“The world is changing. Africa also is changing.”
Supporters of the campaign argue that maps are not merely technical tools but also influence how countries and regions are perceived.
“A map is never neutral. It shapes perceptions, influences how the place of peoples and continents in the world is understood,” Dussey said during a UN briefing.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot backed the initiative, saying France would stop using the Mercator projection in its foreign ministry materials.
“Changing the map obviously doesn’t change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth,” he said.
Critics say map shapes global perceptions
The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 by a team of cartographers as an alternative equal-area map, designed to preserve the relative size of continents more accurately.
Campaigners behind the Correct The Map initiative have argued that Africa’s distorted portrayal has contributed to misconceptions about the continent’s economic potential, resources and global importance.
“You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare,” the group said.
Lerato Mogoatlhe from Africa No Filter, one of the organisations supporting the campaign, said the issue went beyond cartography.
“Africa’s misrepresentation on world maps is not just a cartographic error – it’s a narrative issue,” she told the BBC.
She described the continued use of distorted maps as part of the “world’s longest misinformation and disinformation” about Africa.
Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo said maps could influence political and economic perceptions of regions.
“Maps are more than just guides for travellers – they shape how regions are perceived politically and economically,” he told the BBC.
The Mercator projection remains widely used because of its practical advantages in navigation, as straight lines on the map correspond to constant compass bearings. However, experts have long noted that no two-dimensional map can perfectly represent the curved surface of the Earth without some form of distortion. – September 5, 2026