UN General Assembly Endorses a New World Map That Shows More Accurately Africa's Size

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to support a new kind of world map. This map shows Africa in its true, much larger size. The vote came after African countries and advocacy groups pushed hard for the change. A total of 164 member nations voted in favor of the new map.

The resolution was sponsored by the country of Togo and supported by members of the African Union. Only the United States voted against it. Six other countries — Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine — chose to abstain, meaning they did not vote yes or no. Their decision to abstain meant they stayed neutral on the issue.

The vote encourages governments and schools around the world to stop using the old Mercator map. The Mercator map has been commonly used since the 1500s, but experts say it gives people a wrong picture of how big different places really are. The UN is now asking countries to switch to the Equal Earth projection instead. This change could affect classrooms all over the world.

So what is wrong with the Mercator map? On a Mercator map, Greenland and Africa look like they are about the same size. But in real life, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland. The Equal Earth projection fixes this problem by showing all the continents in their true sizes.

The Mercator map was created by a mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator. He was from a region called Flanders, which is now part of Belgium. He designed the map to help European sailors navigate the ocean, but it accidentally made some regions look much bigger than they really are. Areas near the poles, like Greenland and North America, appear too large, while Africa and South America appear much smaller than they actually are.

The new Equal Earth projection was created in 2018. It follows the curve of the Earth and shows every continent at its correct size. Geographers — scientists who study maps and the Earth — say this makes it a much more honest picture of our world. Many experts have supported the switch for years.

The UN made clear that the resolution does not ban the Mercator map. No country is forced to stop using it. The vote simply encourages everyone to choose the Equal Earth map going forward. Still, supporters hope the endorsement will lead to big changes in schools and media.

Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey spoke before the vote and explained why maps matter so much. 'Maps shape our understanding of the world,' he said. 'They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.' His words reminded people that the maps used in school can shape how we think about different countries and continents.

A group called Africa No Filter was one of the main campaigners for the change. The group celebrated the vote and said it wants to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses, and on the digital platforms that billions of people use every day. They believe that showing Africa at its true size is an important step toward fairness and accuracy.

Geography experts agree that the Mercator map is only useful for one thing: helping ships and planes navigate. Mark Monmonier, a geography professor at Syracuse University, put it simply: 'Outside of that very narrow navigation application, there is no point in using it.' With the UN's support, the world may soon see the Equal Earth map replace the Mercator map in classrooms and on screens everywhere.