How big is Africa really? Why the UN voted to change the world map

The United Nations General Assembly has approved a new world map that aims to accurately portray the size of Africa, as opposed to the traditional Mercator projection. The resolution, known as "Correct the Map," gained support from 164 nations, including France and the United Kingdom, but was the only one opposed by the United States, with six countries abstaining.

This non-binding decision will result in changes to the maps utilized by global institutions. The Mercator map, in use since the 16th century, has been criticized for its distortion, as it makes Africa appear roughly the same size as Greenland - despite Africa being 14 times larger. This deceptive portrayal has led to Africa being underrepresented in terms of its development needs and potential.

The Mercator map, created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569, was designed to assist European explorers in navigation; however, the distortion arises from the inherent challenge of converting the globe's surface onto a flat map. Efforts to rectify this began in 2018 when cartographers developed the Equal Earth projection, which was subsequently adopted by the African Union in February, emphasizing its ability to better reflect the true sizes of continents, particularly Africa.

Online campaign group #CorrectTheMap stated, "You could fit the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico and much of Europe into Africa and still have land to spare." Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who backed the resolution, remarked, "A fair world begins with a fair map," adding, "A map is never neutral. It shapes perceptions, influences how the place of peoples and continents in the world is understood."