# International movement for equal-area map projections

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/international-movement-for-equal-area-map-projections
> Updated: 2026-09-15T00:36:35.000Z. Sources: 10. Developments: 2.

A diplomatic movement has emerged to replace the Mercator projection with equal-area maps to ensure more accurate geographic representation of continental sizes. The Mercator projection, while useful for maritime navigation, is criticized for distorting landmasses by making polar regions appear disproportionately large compared to equatorial regions.

Following a push by Togo and the African Group, the United Nations General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution titled ‘Correct the Map’. The resolution, which received 164 votes in favor, encourages governments, media, and educational institutions to adopt projections such as ‘Equal Earth’ when the relative size of continents is the primary focus. The United States opposed the resolution, describing it as a ‘radical ideological project’ and later labeling the move as ‘superfluous’. Other nations, including Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine, abstained from the vote.

In response to these developments, the African Union has adopted the Equal Earth projection, and France has announced it will phase out the Mercator projection in its diplomatic maps in favor of the Eckert IV projection. Togo intends to continue the initiative by convening UNESCO, the African Union, and technology companies in early 2027. The initiative seeks to correct long-standing cartographic distortions that exaggerate the size of the Global North while minimizing the landmass of the Global South, such as the discrepancy where Greenland appears similar in size to Africa despite Africa being approximately 14 times larger.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: United Nations approves resolution to phase out Mercator map projection

The UN General Assembly has voted to phase out the Mercator map projection in favor of the Equal Earth design to more accurately represent the true sizes of countries in the Global South.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/united-nations-passes-resolution-to-encourage-equal-earth-map-projection

### 2026-09-06: France to replace Mercator projection in diplomatic maps

France is replacing the Mercator map projection with the Eckert IV projection in its diplomatic maps to more accurately represent the true surface areas of continents and reduce polar distortion.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/france-to-replace-mercator-projection-in-diplomatic-maps

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Cite as: International movement for equal-area map projections. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/international-movement-for-equal-area-map-projections