UN adopts new map with smaller US, bigger Africa

On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly decided to adopt a new world map that makes Africa more prominent and shrinks North America and Europe, causing concern in the United States. The resolution, which aimed to provide a more accurate representation of the continents, received support from 164 countries, while the US voted against it and six other states abstained.

The new map, called the Equal Earth cartographic projection, was designed by a group of cartographers in 2018 and strives to accurately depict the surface areas of continents while preserving their shapes on a globe. The US representative criticized the decision, stating that such actions contribute to the institution losing credibility and that the General Assembly should focus on addressing genuine issues instead of debating historical map projects.

France, which co-sponsored the resolution, announced it would abandon the Mercator projection, which overstates the size of northern regions and underrepresents Africa, Latin America, and southeast Asia. The French foreign minister emphasized that correcting this distorted representation is an act of truth. The move comes as France seeks to improve relations with Africa, particularly with former colonies that have strained ties.