UN Adopts Equal Earth Map Resolution to Correct Distortions of Africa’s Size

The United Nations General Assembly has backed a push to change how the world is drawn, adopting a resolution that promotes equal-area maps such as the Equal Earth projection.

The measure passed by 164 votes to one, with six countries abstaining. The United States voted against it, while Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine abstained.

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Correcting the map means recognising that every region of the world deserves to be represented accurately and with dignity

Sponsored principally by African Union member states, the resolution urges governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to use equal-area projections when the relative size of continents matters. Supporters say the Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, visually enlarges Europe and other regions far from the equator while making Africa and other equatorial regions appear smaller than they are.

Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey introduced the resolution for the Group of African States. He said the issue went beyond cartography because maps shape how people understand the world. For centuries, he said, textbooks, media, digital platforms and official documents have presented distorted comparisons between continents.

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Our approach is not directed against any nation, any civilisation or any cartographic tradition

“Correcting the map means recognising that every region of the world deserves to be represented accurately and with dignity,” Dussey said. He stressed that the initiative did not target any country or seek to challenge established cartographic traditions. Instead, it promotes projections that “better preserve the true proportions of continents,” including the Equal Earth projection supported by the African Union.

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better preserve the true proportions of continents

Dussey said the debate also touched education, culture, geopolitics, development narratives and perceptions of Africa’s economic and strategic potential. “A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world,” he said. “And when our perspective becomes more just, it paves the way for greater understanding, respect and peace among nations.”

The United States opposed the resolution, arguing that it advanced an ideological agenda and distracted from more pressing international challenges. The resolution is non-binding and does not seek to replace the Mercator projection in areas where it remains particularly useful.

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A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world