UN backs new world map projection, with the United States as the lone opponent

The United States stood alone in opposing a United Nations resolution aimed at changing how the world is shown on maps. The measure won 164 votes in the General Assembly, while six countries abstained, prompting loud applause in the chamber.

Togo launched the initiative with support from all 54 members of the African Union. It seeks to reduce reliance on the Mercator projection, a map design introduced by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 to help sailors navigate.

The Mercator map enlarges areas farther from the equator. Africa, for example, appears roughly the same size as Greenland, even though the African continent is about 14 times larger than the Danish territory.

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It is time to change the narrative.

Togo is promoting Equal Earth, a projection introduced in 2018 that presents the relative size of continents more accurately. Supporters of the campaign, known as #CorrectTheMap, say wider use could influence how people view Africa and other parts of the global south. Critics have called the long-standing reliance on Mercator “cartographic colonialism.”

The resolution is not legally binding, but its adoption could encourage changes in school textbooks, education and digital maps. Togo hopes to discuss implementation with UNESCO, the African Union and technology companies. “It is time to change the narrative,” Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who leads the initiative, said.

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Cartographic colonialism.