Internet State

The United Nations General Assembly voted 164 to 1 to adopt a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection, which accurately represents the size of continents, in contrast to the Mercator projection that distorts Africa's size, making it appear as if Greenland is comparable in size, when Africa is actually about 14 times larger. The resolution, led by Togo on behalf of the African Group, encourages institutions and tech companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection to correct misconceptions about Africa and other equatorial regions, while the U.S. was the only country to oppose it, labeling it a "radical ideological project." The resolution is nonbinding but aims to influence future mapping practices, and Togo is organizing a meeting next year with various stakeholders to discuss implementation.

The UN has adopted a resolution called "Correct the Map" to replace the Mercator map with the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately represents Africa's size as approximately 14 times larger than Greenland. While the Equal Earth map addresses issues of landmass size, it sacrifices the navigational accuracy provided by the Mercator projection, which has been in use since 1569. The shift aims to change perceptions of continents, particularly Africa, which has often been downplayed in terms of its resources and opportunities due to distorted mapping practices.

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution, supported by 164 countries, to recognize a new map of Africa that more accurately reflects its true size, as part of a push led by several African nations. The new Equal Earth cartographic projection highlights Africa's area of approximately 30.3 million square kilometers (11.7 million square miles), contrasting sharply with the traditional Mercator map that minimizes its size, making it appear similar to Greenland, which is 14 times smaller. The resolution has garnered positive responses, with countries like France joining in its support, while the United States was the sole nation to vote against it, and six other countries abstained.

The UN General Assembly voted to adopt a new world map that accurately reflects Africa's size, passing the "Correct the Map" resolution with support from 164 nations, including major powers like France and the UK, while the US was the only nation to oppose it. The resolution aims to replace the longstanding Mercator map, which misrepresents Africa as being similar in size to Greenland, despite Africa being 14 times larger, and has been criticized for downplaying the continent's developmental needs and potential. Supporters argue that correcting the map is vital for shaping perceptions of Africa and addressing historical misrepresentations, emphasizing the practical implications of how maps influence political and economic views.

The United Nations General Assembly voted on a new map projection called the Equal Earth, with 164 countries in favor, one against (the United States), and six abstentions. The Equal Earth projection seeks to provide a more accurate representation of the sizes of landmasses, as the traditional Mercator projection distorts these sizes, making Greenland appear almost as large as Africa, which is actually 14 times bigger. France announced it would also abandon the Mercator projection, highlighting that it gives disproportionate visual prominence to nations like the US, Russia, and China compared to Africa and Latin America.

The U.N. General Assembly recently adopted the "Correct the Map" resolution with 164 votes in favor and only one against, promoting the use of equal-area projections like Equal Earth to accurately represent Africa's size. The resolution, introduced by Togo on behalf of the African Group and supported by the African Union, addresses the distortions seen in the traditional Mercator projection, which exaggerates the size of northern regions while minimizing Africa's significance. The United States was the sole dissenting vote, criticizing the resolution as ideologically driven and a distraction from more important issues.

The United Nations has adopted the "Correct the Map" resolution, which aims to rectify centuries of distorted representations of countries, particularly Africa, which has been visually shrunk for 450 years, by promoting the use of the Equal Earth projection. The resolution was sponsored by African states and the Bahamas, passing with a vote of 164-1 and six abstentions, with Togo leading the campaign to move away from the widely-used Mercator map that inaccurately portrays land sizes. Following the vote, Togo announced plans to change its school geography materials by the end of the year and urged global institutions to reevaluate their mapping choices due to the perception distortions fostered by the Mercator projection.