{
  "id": 5670761,
  "title": "UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/un-general-assembly-endorses-a-new-world-map-that-shows-more-5670761",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T23:53:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/un-africa-map-mercator-equal-earth-projection-b138fe9f76d7ff54cc7d5c9b1ddfa983"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a new world map that more accurately represents Africa's size, a result of a recent campaign spearheaded by African nations and advocacy groups. The resolution, sponsored by Togo and supported by the African Union, garnered 164 votes in favor, with only the United States voting against it and six other countries abstaining.\n\nThe new map utilizes the Equal Earth projection, which offers a more accurate depiction of locations compared to the traditional Mercator projection, which has been in use since the 16th century. The Mercator projection misrepresents Africa and Greenland, making them appear roughly the same size when, in reality, Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland.\n\nWhile the resolution does not mandate the abandonment of the Mercator projection, it does encourage its replacement with the Equal Earth projection. The UN report cited Togo's Foreign Minister, Robert Dussey, who emphasized that maps play a crucial role in shaping our understanding of the world, influencing education, imagination, and collective perceptions.\n\nOrganizations like Africa No Filter, a prominent advocate for the adoption of the new map, welcomed the resolution. They expressed their desire to see the accurate representation of Africa in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses, and digital platforms.\n\nSeveral countries, including France, hailed the adoption of the new map, acknowledging the importance of correcting a distorted representation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasized that altering the map does not change the world but acknowledging and correcting the misrepresentation is a step towards truth.",
  "summary": "The United Nations General Assembly on Friday endorsed a new world map that represents Africa more accurately in its larger size, a culmination of a recent campaign led by…",
  "key_points": [
    "UN General Assembly endorses new world map accurately representing Africa's size",
    "Resolution sponsored by Togo, supported by African Union, passed with 164 votes",
    "United States voted against resolution, six countries abstained"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The UN's endorsement of the new map marks a shift towards a more accurate global representation, potentially influencing education, media, and public perception, and gaining support from African nations and advocacy groups.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CityNews",
        "title": "UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/un-general-assembly-endorses-a-new-world-map-that-shows-more-5679866",
        "published": "2026-09-04T23:36:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/un-general-assembly-endorses-a-new-world-map-that-shows-more",
        "published": "2026-09-04T23:36:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "N. Korea likely to send vice minister to U.N. General Assembly this month",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/n-korea-likely-to-send-vice-minister-to-u-n-general-assembly-this",
        "published": "2026-09-05T01:21:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}