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🇵🇰 Pakistan /Elections & Politics

UN backs major map reform to show continents at their true scale

From Dawn · () English

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

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution supporting the Equal Earth projection, which shows continents at a scale closer to their actual land areas.
  • The measure received support from 164 countries, while the United States voted against it and six countries abstained.
  • The resolution urges members to consider Equal Earth instead of the Mercator projection, which was created for maritime navigation.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted for a map that makes Africa appear larger and North America and Europe smaller, in a reform led by several African countries seeking what it calls a more accurate picture of world geography.

a more accurate representation

· United Nations General Assembly resolutionThe resolution describes the Equal Earth projection as a more accurate way to represent continental land areas.

The resolution won the backing of 164 countries. The United States voted against it, while six other states abstained.

offers a more accurate representation of the sizes of continental landmasses and to this end is a relevant option for improving the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world

· United Nations General Assembly resolutionThe resolution explains why it supports the Equal Earth projection.

The map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, presents the sizes of continental landmasses more accurately, according to the resolution. It urges U.N. member states to adopt it instead of the traditional Mercator projection.

shape our understanding of the world

· Foreign minister of TogoHe emphasized the influence maps have on how people perceive geography.

The Mercator map was designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation. Togo's foreign minister, whose country drove the resolution, said maps “shape our understanding of the world.” “They guide education, nourish the imagination,” he said, in remarks quoted in the source.

They guide education, nourish the imagination

· Foreign minister of TogoHe described the broader cultural influence of maps.
About this summary

Originally published by Dawn 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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