UN Adopts New World Map to Reflect Africa’s True Size as US Opposes

The Correct the Map Resolution and Historical Context

The “Correct the Map” resolution aims to address a colonial-era injustice that has visually shrunk Africa for 450 years, shaping how the continent is perceived in media, education, and policy worldwide. African Union member states and the Bahamas put forward the resolution, which passed with a vote of 164-1 and six abstentions. Togo led the African Union’s campaign to limit the use of the widely criticized Mercator map. Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator developed the projection in the 16th century. The projection distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles, making Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa even though Africa is about 14 times larger. Critics of the Mercator map argue that it remains widely used because it visually exaggerates and centralizes Western nations, perpetuating ideas of European superiority. “A fair world begins with a fair map,” Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told the Reuters news agency ahead of the Friday vote.

Opposition from the United States and Support from France

The United States voted against the resolution, arguing that it promoted an “ideological agenda” and served as a distraction from the genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations. Meanwhile, France co-sponsored the resolution and announced plans to abandon the Mercator map. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris that the foreign ministry will abandon the Mercator projection in favor of map representations tailored to specific uses that are more faithful to actual surface areas. Barrot noted that the United States, Russia, and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America, or southeast Asia, adding that distortions eventually take root in perceptions and that the time has come to correct them.

The Equal Earth Projection and Future Implementation

The resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately portrays the size of the continents. The resolution is non-binding and explicitly states that it “in no way challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited.” Moky Makura, executive director of the advocacy organization Africa No Filter, hailed the vote, stating, “Now the real work begins.” Makura added, “We want to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and on the digital platforms billions of people use every day.” Togo aims to change its school geography materials by the end of the year and plans to press other governments, schools, international organizations, and technology companies to move away from the Mercator map in favor of the Equal Earth projection. Dussey linked the campaign to wider African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies while emphasizing that the initiative is not an attack on Europe or any other civilization.