UN approves new map showing Africa’s true size, US opposes

The United Nations General Assembly has voted in favor of a resolution on Friday, urging governments, schools, and tech companies worldwide to abandon maps that distort the size of Africa. The resolution, a result of an African-led campaign against the 16th-century Mercator projection, received support from 164 member states. The United States was the sole dissenting vote, joined by six countries and Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine, which abstained.

Togo led the negotiations, building on a campaign supported by the African Union. Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized that a fair map does not alter the world's geography but changes how we perceive it. The resolution defines correcting distortions as an act of "cognitive justice and memorial reparation." It promotes the Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, as a more accurate representation of relative size.

Although the resolution does not ban the Mercator projection, it encourages the use of equal-area maps to highlight the limitations of flat maps in depicting a spherical planet. The United States criticized the resolution, stating it "mocks the work and purpose" of the UN by attempting to update cartographic proportions and part of a broader ideological agenda. Washington's representative also pointed out the inclusion of reparations and "cognitive justice," suggesting such initiatives tarnish the UN's credibility.

However, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot hinted that France might abandon the Mercator projection for its global maps, aligning with the broader effort championed by the African Union. Ukraine expressed support for addressing historical distortions affecting Africa and other Global South regions but raised concerns about certain Equal Earth maps portraying Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.