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🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates /Culture & Society

UN backs new map that shows Africa’s true size, as Togo challenges Mercator projection

From Khaleej Times · () English

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

At a glance

Newswire Named sources Approved/passed
  • The UN General Assembly approved the Equal Earth projection by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions.
  • Togo led the campaign, saying the Mercator map exaggerates land masses near the poles and makes Greenland appear roughly as large as Africa, although Africa is about 14 times larger.
  • Togo plans to replace Mercator maps in its schools and promote wider adoption among governments, organizations and mapping technology companies.

A UN vote has given Togo’s campaign for a fairer world map a powerful boost. The General Assembly approved a resolution supporting the Equal Earth projection by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions. The United States was the only country to vote against it.

A fair world begins with a fair map.

· Robert DusseyTogo’s foreign minister described the rationale for the campaign before the UN vote.

Togo led the initiative as part of a broader African Union effort to reduce reliance on the Mercator projection. The 16th-century map enlarges areas near the poles and compresses regions around the equator. Greenland appears roughly the same size as Africa on it, although Africa is about 14 times larger.

Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey called the resolution a step toward correcting a long-standing visual distortion. “A fair world begins with a fair map,” he told Reuters before the vote. The resolution promotes Equal Earth as a more accurate portrayal of continental size, but it is not legally binding. Togo’s ministry also stressed that it does not challenge Mercator’s continued use for maritime and aerial navigation.

Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books.

· Robert DusseyHe said Togo planned to replace Mercator maps in school materials.

The United States said the resolution advanced an ideological agenda and distracted from genuine problems involving international peace, prosperity and relations. Togo, however, plans to change its school geography materials by the end of the year. “Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books,” Dussey said. “In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.”

In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.

· Robert DusseyHe explained why Togo wanted to make the change in schools.

Over the next six months, Togo plans to meet African Union members and supporters in other regions to discuss wider adoption. Dussey said the talks would also need to involve companies that operate mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies. He linked the campaign to efforts to confront colonial-era legacies, while saying it was not an attack on Europe or any other civilization. “The world is changing. Africa also is changing,” he said.

The world is changing. Africa also is changing.

· Robert DusseyHe connected the map campaign with broader efforts to address colonial-era legacies.
About this summary

Originally published by Khaleej 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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