United Nations adopts resolution to correct global map distortions

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution titled ‘Correct the map: Rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa’. Sponsored by Togo and supported by the African Union, the measure passed with 164 votes in favor, six abstentions, and a single dissenting vote from the United States.

The resolution encourages governments, schools, and international organizations to use map projections that more accurately reflect the relative sizes of the world’s regions. It specifically aims to address the distortions caused by the 16th-century Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation but visually inflates landmasses at high latitudes while shrinking those near the equator.

Under the Mercator projection, Africa appears roughly the same size as Greenland, despite being approximately 14 times larger. The UN resolution promotes alternatives like the Equal Earth projection, which provides a more proportional representation of continental landmasses, thereby increasing the visual prominence of Africa and Latin America in global maps.