UN votes 164-1 to promote maps showing Africa’s true size

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Friday to endorse a resolution promoting map projections that more accurately reflect the true size of continents, capping an African-led campaign against the 16th-century Mercator projection still common in classrooms and digital platforms worldwide.

The "Correct the Map" resolution passed 164 to 1 with six abstentions. The United States cast the sole opposing vote, with its representative dismissing the initiative as part of a "radical ideological project." Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained.news.un

A Fair Map

Togo led negotiations on behalf of the African Union, which backed the resolution along with all 54 of its member states and the Bahamas. The measure does not ban the Mercator projection or impose a single replacement. Instead, it encourages governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps where relative size matters.reuters+1

"A fair world begins with a fair map," Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote. The resolution describes the shift as an act of "cognitive justice and memorial reparation," pointing to Mercator's effect of enlarging landmasses farther from the equator — making Greenland appear comparable in size to Africa, which is about 14 times larger.news.un+1

France Moves, Washington Objects

Hours before the vote, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that Paris would abandon the Mercator projection for its official maps, adopting the Eckert IV projection, which is close to Equal Earth. "The United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia," Barrot said at the Sorbonne. "Distortions eventually take root in perceptions."aljazeera+1

Ukraine said it supported correcting historical distortions but warned that some Equal Earth maps depict occupied Ukrainian territory in ways that could open a "Pandora's box" over disputed borders. The European Union backed the resolution while stressing it had no bearing on sovereignty or territorial status.news.un

What Comes Next

The resolution is nonbinding, and Mercator is not disappearing from navigation or specialized use. But Togo plans to replace the projection in its school geography materials by year's end. "Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books," Dussey said. Togo's government is also planning an event in Lomé with UNESCO, the African Union and technology companies including Google Maps Alphabet Inc. ↘ 1.11% in early 2027 to chart an implementation path.independent+1

"The world is changing," Dussey said. "Africa also is changing."reuters