Africa map size: Togo to change school maps, geography books after UN vote

Togo plans to revise its school geography materials and textbooks within the year following a United Nations General Assembly vote. The decision comes in response to the UN's adoption of a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately depicts the size of Africa and other regions compared to the widely used Mercator projection.

Togo's Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, stated that his country would be the first to change its geography books to reflect this new standard. The UN's resolution received widespread support, with 164 countries voting in favor, while the United States voted against and six nations abstained. The Equal Earth projection aims to preserve the relative sizes of landmasses, particularly those farther from the Equator, as compared to the Mercator projection, which often distorts the size of regions closer to the poles.