UN General Assembly Votes to Adopt New World Map for Africa's True Size
The UN General Assembly has voted to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa. The "Correct the Map" resolution, sponsored by Togo and backed by African Union (AU) members, passed with the support of 164 nations, including France and the UK. The United States was the only nation to vote against it, and there were six abstentions.
The Mercator Map vs. Equal Earth Projection
The Mercator map, widely used since the 16th century, has come under fire for showing Africa as similar in size to Greenland, despite Africa's much larger actual size. Critics argue this minimizes the development needs and potential of countries near the equator.
The Mercator map's distortion arises from the challenge of accurately representing a globe's surface on a two-dimensional chart. To correct this, cartographers in 2018 developed the Equal Earth projection, adopted by the AU in February.
Impact of the UN Vote
While the UN vote is non-binding, it will lead to changes in maps used globally by various institutions.
"A fair world begins with a fair map." - Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot echoed this sentiment, stating his ministry will stop using the Mercator map.
Opposing Views
However, a US representative at the UN criticized the resolution, arguing it detracted from the UN's primary goals:
"Instead of focusing on genuine problems... this body is debating map projects from the 16th Century..."
An online campaign group, #CorrectTheMap, emphasizes the disparity:
"You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare."