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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

India backs UN’s ‘Equal Earth’ map but warns against inaccurate depictions of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • India supported a UN resolution promoting the Equal Earth map, which seeks to represent continental landmasses more accurately.
  • New Delhi said the map must show Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh according to India’s official map and cannot alter national boundaries.
  • The resolution won support from 164 countries, while the United States opposed it and six countries abstained.

India backed the United Nations’ push for an “Equal Earth” map, then issued a sharp warning about how its own territory must appear on it.

The Ministry of External Affairs said India’s vote supported the principle of equal-area cartographic representation. It did not, the ministry stressed, endorse any particular map, projection or depiction of national borders.

The underlying principle of promoting equal-area cartographic representation.

· Randhir JaiswalIndia’s foreign ministry spokesperson explained the principle behind the country’s vote.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India’s sovereign territory, including the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be shown in line with the country’s official map. “Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable,” he said, adding that India’s position on sovereignty and territorial integrity was “clear, consistent and non-negotiable.”

India’s sovereign territory, including the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, must be depicted in accordance with India’s official map. Any inaccurate or misleading depiction is unacceptable. Our position on India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is clear, consistent and non-negotiable.

· Randhir JaiswalJaiswal warned that support for the new projection did not extend to inaccurate portrayals of India’s claimed territory.

The UN General Assembly approved the resolution on Friday by 164 votes. The United States voted against it, while six countries abstained. The initiative, led by several African countries and presented by Togo with African Union backing, seeks to correct distortions associated with the Mercator map, which has long made Africa appear similar in size to Greenland despite Africa’s much larger landmass.

The Equal Earth projection was created in 2018. In February 2026, all 54 African Union countries adopted it, citing its more accurate representation of the continents, particularly Africa. India has repeatedly supported African Union countries, including backing the group’s inclusion in the G20. Its support for the new map, however, came with a firm insistence that changing the projection must not change the depiction of existing national boundaries.

Changing the map obviously doesn't change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth.

· Not specified in the sourceThe article uses this statement to frame the argument for correcting distortions in conventional world maps.
About this summary

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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