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6 clusters · 575 sources · 27 days · First seen · Last updated

UN approves resolution to correct global map distortions

Overview

On September 4, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly approved the ‘Correct the Map’ resolution (A/RES/80/307), an initiative led by Togo and supported by the African Union. The nonbinding resolution encourages a transition from the Mercator projection to the ‘Equal Earth’ projection to correct cartographic distortions that disproportionately enlarge northern landmasses while minimizing equatorial regions like Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.

The resolution passed with 164 votes in favor, six abstentions, and a single dissenting vote from the United States. The U.S. characterized the move as a ‘radical ideological project,’ while proponents frame the shift as part of a broader movement toward the ‘decolonization of knowledge.’ Diplomatic friction emerged from abstentions by Ukraine, which protested the projection’s coloring of Crimea, and Serbia, regarding the depiction of Kosovo.

Following the vote, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced new maps using the Equal Earth projection, and France pledged to renounce the Mercator projection within its diplomatic network. On September 29, 2026, Togo and the African Union began collaborating directly with the projection’s designers—Tom Patterson, Bernhard Jenny, and Bojan Šavrič—to implement the resolution. The cartographers have pledged scientific and technical support to assist with global education and mapping efforts to ensure the relative areas of continents are accurately represented.

Entities

African Union · Equal Earth · Togo · United Nations · Robert Dussey

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

  • "The resolution passed with 164 votes in favor, one vote against, and six abstentions."

    vs

    "The resolution passed with 164 votes in favor, six abstentions, and one vote against."

    The claims differ on whether there was one vote against and six abstentions, or six abstentions and one vote against, which are mathematically identical but the specific counts of 'against' vs 'absteb

Timeline

  1. [INTERNATIONAL] 2 sources
    African Union and Togo implement UN “Correct the Map” resolution

    Togo and the African Union are partnering with Equal Earth cartographers to implement a UN resolution promoting equal-area map projections to accurately represent continental sizes.

  2. [INTERNATIONAL] 11 sources
    United Nations adopts resolution to correct global map distortions

    The UN General Assembly passed a resolution encouraging the use of equal-area map projections like Equal Earth to correct visual distortions that make Africa appear smaller than its true scale.

  3. [INTERNATIONAL] 4 sources
    United Nations adopts Equal Earth map projection to correct geographic distortions

    The UN has adopted the Equal Earth map projection to more accurately represent landmass sizes, specifically addressing the visual distortions of the Mercator projection that make Africa appear smaller.

  4. [INTERNATIONAL] 139 sources
    United Nations adopts new world map projection to correct landmass distortions

    The UN General Assembly has approved a resolution to adopt the 'Equal Earth' map projection to more accurately represent the size of landmasses, specifically correcting the historical underrepresentation of de-

  5. [INTERNATIONAL] 391 sources
    United Nations adopts resolution promoting Equal Earth map projection

    The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution encouraging the use of the Equal Earth map projection to provide a more accurate representation of continental sizes, specifically addressing Mercator distortions.

  6. [INTERNATIONAL] 53 sources
    UN General Assembly adopts resolution to correct global map distortions

    The UN General Assembly passed the ‘Correct the Map’ resolution, encouraging more accurate world maps like the Equal Earth projection to fix distortions that minimize the perceived size of Africa and the Global

Sources

24.hu · 256businessnews.com · 324.cat · 360mozambique.com · 5septiembre.cu · 6yka.com · 92q.com · aajsamaaj.com · abc17news.com · acessa.com · actu.capital.fr · adevarul.ro · adomonline.com · aduc.it · afreepress.tg · africa.businessinsider.com · africanewsanalysis.com · africanlegends.files.wordpress.com · africapresse.com · afrikactus.com · afrique-news.tg · agenparl.eu · agniban.com · ait.live · ajkerpatrika.com · akhbarona.com · akhbrna.ae · aktuality.sk · algoafm.co.za · almanartv.com.lb · alyaoum24.com · amazoniaonline.com.br · americafirstreport.com · amigoearuba.com · anglophone-direct.com · antaranews.com · antiguatribune.com · apach57.fr · arabic.cnn.com · archdaily.mx · artigercek.com · asianlite.com · assamtribune.com · athina984.gr · atlanticinfos.com · australosorno.cl · axadletimes.com · backchannels.com

This summary has been updated 27 times: see revision history