UN vote considers new world map showing Africa at its true scale

The United Nations General Assembly is preparing to vote on whether the world should move away from the familiar Mercator map and adopt a projection that shows Africa’s actual scale more accurately. Togo is leading the campaign, backed by the country’s foreign minister, Robert Dussey.

Dussey said Togo and the other 54 African Union member states support the resolution. “This discussion is not political, but scientific, because there is scientific evidence and everyone must accept reality,” he said.

The Mercator projection, introduced by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 to help sailors navigate, remains widely used in education, technology and government. Its design, however, makes regions near the equator look smaller than they are and enlarges areas at high latitudes. Africa can appear nearly the same size as Greenland, although the continent is 14 times larger.

“

This discussion is not political, but scientific, because there is scientific evidence and everyone must accept reality.

The #CorrectTheMap campaign has collected more than 11,000 signatures. Its supporters point out that the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe could fit inside Africa with land left over. The African Union approved the campaign in August 2025 and assigned Togo to lead efforts for its adoption.

Historians, geographers and activists have criticized the projection as rooted in Western stereotypes and described its influence as “cartographic colonialism.” The campaign promotes the Equal Earth projection, developed by an international team of cartographers in 2018. Supporters say changing the map could help challenge perceptions of Africa and decolonize school curricula. Any UN resolution would not be legally binding, but approval could prompt updates to educational materials and everyday technology.

“

Cartographic colonialism