United Nations adopts resolution to reform global map projections

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a historic resolution titled ‘Correct the Map’, aimed at promoting more equitable cartographic representations of the world. Led by Togo and supported by the African Union, the resolution encourages a shift away from the centuries-old Mercator projection toward more accurate models like the Equal Earth projection.

The Mercator projection, widely used since 1569, is noted for distorting the relative sizes of landmasses, particularly making northern regions appear much larger while visually shrinking Africa and South America. For example, while Greenland appears similar in size to Africa on a Mercator map, Africa is actually approximately 14 times larger.

The resolution passed with a significant majority of 164 votes in favor. The United States was the sole nation to vote against the measure, characterizing the proposal as a ‘radical ideological project’. Six other nations, including Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Estonia, and Lithuania, abstained from the vote.

In response to the adoption, France announced it would abandon the Mercator projection in its official diplomatic uses. While the UN resolution is non-binding, it marks a major diplomatic milestone in addressing perceived ‘cartographic colonialism’ and improving geographic accuracy in education and global communication.