United Nations adopts Equal Earth map projection to correct geographic distortions

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a non-binding resolution supporting the Equal Earth cartographic projection. This new map aims to provide a more accurate representation of the true relative sizes of Earth's landmasses, particularly for continents in the Southern Hemisphere like Africa, which often appear significantly smaller under the widely used 16th-century Mercator projection.

Proposed by Togo, the resolution passed with 164 countries in favor. The United States was the sole nation to vote against the measure, with its UN representative describing such efforts as ‘barnacles on our work’. Six other nations abstained from the vote.

The Equal Earth projection is intended to reduce the visual distortions caused by the Mercator projection, where landmasses near the poles can appear up to 14 times larger than their actual size. Cartographers suggest this change will benefit education, public communication, and policy-making by providing a fairer perspective on global geography, population, and environmental indicators.