The United Nations General Assembly voted Friday to adopt a new world map that aims to present the relative size of continents more accurately. The move gives Africa greater prominence while reducing the apparent size of North America and Europe, prompting opposition from the United States.
The resolution received support from 164 countries. The United States voted against it, while six other states abstained, news agency AFP reported.
The map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, is intended to improve "the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world," according to the resolution.
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It calls on member states to adopt the Equal Earth map instead of the traditional Mercator projection, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for maritime navigation.
Togo backs a more accurate world map
Togo, which sponsored the resolution, said maps can shape how people understand the world.
Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions."
{{/usCountry}}Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions."
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"They are therefore never neutral; when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that is passed down through generations."
US criticises the UN resolution
The United States criticised the move, arguing that the General Assembly should focus on more pressing issues.
US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said such initiatives are "the reason this institution is losing its credibility."
"Instead of focusing on genuine problems... this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice," Ferencevych said ahead of the vote.
How the Mercator projection distorts size
The Mercator projection was designed to preserve the shapes and angles of landmasses, but it does not accurately reflect their relative areas.
The difference results from the challenge of showing the three-dimensional Earth on a two-dimensional surface. Northern regions appear larger, while areas closer to the equator appear smaller.
As a result, Europe and North America look much larger, while Africa and South America appear smaller than their actual relative sizes.
The Equal Earth projection was developed by a group of cartographers and launched in 2018. It gives Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania greater visual size.
One of its cartographers, Bojan Savric, told AFP in 2025: "Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe."
France to drop Mercator projection
France, which co-sponsored the resolution, announced Friday that it would abandon the Mercator projection.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that under the projection, "the United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or Southeast Asia," while "Greenland appears almost as big as Africa".
"Changing maps obviously doesn't change the world," Barrot said. "But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth."
The initiative comes as France seeks to improve relations with Africa, particularly with former colonies where it has difficult ties.
(With inputs from AFP)