UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution in Support of Map Showing Africa's True Size
The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to encourage governments, schools, and tech companies worldwide to stop using maps that distort Africa's size. By 164 votes to one, member states on Friday endorsed a resolution promoting map projections that accurately reflect continents' true sizes.
The United States was the sole opponent, dismissing the initiative as a "radical ideological project." Six countries—Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine—abstained.
The resolution doesn't ban the Mercator projection, widely used since the 16th century, but rather encourages the use of the Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps when relative size matters. It also advocates teaching the limitations of flat maps in representing a spherical planet.
This seemingly technical debate masks a larger argument about history and power. It raises questions about whether a map designed for European sailors has, over time, shaped perceptions of Africa in inaccurate ways.
"Maps shape our understanding of the world," said Robert Dussey, Togo's foreign minister, before the vote. "They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions."
Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer, created his projection in 1569 for maritime navigation. While useful for navigation, it exaggerated landmasses farther from the equator.
Despite its original purpose, the Mercator projection remains prevalent in education, media, and digital maps. Togo, on behalf of the African group, led negotiations for the resolution, which describes correcting these distortions as an act of "cognitive justice and memorial reparation." The Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, is one alternative that presents Africa's true size.
"A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world," emphasized FM Dussey.