Global Map Overhaul: UN Votes for Africa's Bigger Representation

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a resolution, primarily driven by several African nations, to implement a revised world map. This new cartographic representation significantly enlarges the African continent while proportionally reducing the apparent sizes of North America and Europe.

The resolution, which seeks "a more accurate representation" of Earth's continental landmasses, garnered support from 164 member states. However, the United States cast a dissenting vote, and six other nations chose to abstain. Termed the Equal Earth cartographic projection, the resolution declared this updated map "is a relevant option for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world."

Member states are strongly encouraged to adopt this new projection, moving away from the conventional Mercator projection. The Mercator map was originally conceived in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, primarily for purposes of maritime navigation. Togo's Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, whose country championed the resolution, emphasized the profound impact of maps, stating they "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions." He further elaborated that maps "are therefore never neutral, when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that are passed down through generation."

In contrast, the United States sharply criticized the resolution, asserting that such actions contribute to "the reason this institution is losing its credibility." US representative Yaryna Ferencevych, speaking before the vote, remarked, "Instead of focusing on genuine problems… this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice." This shift addresses what many call a "distorted representation" prevalent in older maps.

The Mercator projection, while effective in accurately depicting the shapes and angles of land masses, frequently presented inaccurate relative sizes. This inaccuracy largely stems from the inherent difficulty of translating a three-dimensional spherical globe onto a flat, two-dimensional map. Consequently, it exaggerated the size of northern regions and compressed those closer to the equator, leading to an enlarged appearance of continents like Europe and North America, while diminishing the perceived scale of Africa and South America.

In 2018, a collective of cartographers introduced the Equal Earth projection. This modern map design significantly increases the apparent size of Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania. Bojan Savric, one of the cartographers behind the new projection, informed AFP in 2025 that "Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe."

France, a co-sponsor of the resolution advocating for the new map, declared on Friday its intention to discontinue the use of the Mercator projection. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noted that on the Mercator map, "the United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or southeast Asia," and strikingly, "Greenland appears almost as big as Africa." He acknowledged, "Changing maps obviously doesn’t change the world," but stressed that "correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth." This cartographic initiative aligns with France's ongoing efforts to enhance its diplomatic ties with African nations, especially those former colonies where relationships have historically been strained.