United Nations adopts resolution to rebalance global cartographic standards

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted the “Correct the Map” resolution, a move aimed at rebalancing global cartographic standards. The resolution seeks to replace the traditional Mercator projection with the Equal Earth projection to ensure more equitable proportions for the world’s regions, particularly for equatorial nations and Africa.

Spearheaded by Togo and a coalition of African nations, the initiative addresses the inherent distortions of the Mercator projection. Created in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation, the projection preserves compass lines but significantly enlarges landmasses near the poles while shrinking equatorial regions. This results in visual discrepancies, such as Greenland appearing nearly the same size as Africa, despite Africa being fourteen times larger.

While the United States was the sole country to vote against the resolution, 164 nations supported the measure. Proponents argue that adopting more balanced projections is a step toward “decolonizing geography” and fostering greater international understanding and respect by correcting spatial biases in how the world is taught and perceived.