UN adopts map reform to show true scale of continents

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to adopt a new map projection, spearheaded by several African countries, that aims to more accurately represent the sizes of continents. The resolution, which garnered the support of 164 countries, calls for the United States and six other states to replace the traditional Mercator projection with the Equal Earth cartographic projection.

The new map, developed in 2018 by a group of cartographers, accurately depicts the surface areas of continents while preserving their shapes as closely as possible to those on a globe. This shift is crucial as the Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation in 1569, disproportionately inflates the sizes of northern regions and underrepresents equatorial areas, leading to distorted perceptions of world geography.

France, one of the co-sponsoring countries, has pledged to abandon the Mercator projection, acknowledging that while changing maps does not alter the world, correcting a distorted representation is an act of truth. This move comes as France seeks to strengthen its relations with Africa, particularly with former colonies that have complex ties.