{
  "id": 5760878,
  "title": "UN backs effort to drop Mercator map and show size of Africa more accurately",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/un-backs-effort-to-drop-mercator-map-and-show-size-of-africa-more",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T10:41:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RFI English",
    "slug": "rfi-english",
    "url": "https://www.rfi.fr/en/international/20260905-un-backs-effort-to-drop-mercator-map-and-show-size-of-africa-more-accurately"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The United Nations has voted to move away from using the 16th-century Mercator global map, which does not accurately reflect the true size of countries. A resolution was passed by 164 votes to one, with six abstentions, encouraging member states, schools, publishers, and tech firms to use maps that keep land masses in more or less true proportion.\n\nThe resolution, introduced by Togo on behalf of the African Union, aims to correct the distortion of Africa's size on commonly used world maps. According to Euro Weekly News, the US was the sole country to vote against the resolution, while Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine abstained.\n\nThe new map, such as the 2018 Equal Earth projection, will show the size of continents, particularly Africa, more accurately. This change does not alter country borders or physically move any land masses, but rather how comparatively big each continent appears on a flat page.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Live Mint",
        "title": "UN backs new world map that more accurately shows Africa’s true size and scale, 164 countries vote in favour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/un-backs-new-world-map-that-more-accurately-shows-africas-true-size",
        "published": "2026-09-05T03:02:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "UN backs new world map, US objects to Africa’s bigger representation",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/un-backs-new-world-map-us-objects-to-africas-bigger-representation",
        "published": "2026-09-05T06:28:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Capital FM Kenya",
        "title": "Africa’s true size gets UN backing as US votes against map resolution",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/africas-true-size-gets-un-backing-as-us-votes-against-map-resolution",
        "published": "2026-09-05T07:21:38.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}