{
  "id": 5779277,
  "title": "UN Approves New World Map That Shows More Accurate Sizes of Countries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/un-approves-new-world-map-that-shows-more-accurate-sizes-of-countries",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T12:20:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ProPakistani",
    "slug": "propakistani",
    "url": "https://propakistani.pk/2026/09/05/un-approves-new-world-map-that-shows-more-accurate-sizes-of-countries/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United Nations General Assembly has approved a new world map that more accurately reflects the relative sizes of continents, diverging from traditional maps. This resolution, adopted on Friday by 164 countries, includes the United States voting against it, with six countries abstaining. The UN is urging member states to adopt the Equal Earth projection, an alternative to the centuries-old Mercator projection. The Mercator projection, originally designed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for navigational purposes, preserves angles and shapes but distorts the true sizes of landmasses when projected onto a flat surface. This results in northern regions appearing disproportionately larger than those closer to the equator, misrepresenting Africa, South America, and other areas. The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018 by a team of cartographers, aims to preserve the relative surface areas of continents while maintaining their shapes in a way closer to their actual appearance on a globe. Under this projection, Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania appear larger than on the Mercator map. Togo, the country that proposed the resolution, emphasized that maps influence perceptions of the world, shaping education, imagination, and collective understanding. They highlighted how distorted maps can perpetuate inaccurate representations across generations. The US opposed the resolution, contending that the UN should address more pressing global challenges.",
  "summary": "The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a new world map that gives a more accurate representation of the relative … Read More The post UN Approves New World Map That Shows More Accurate Sizes of Countries appeared first on ProPakistani .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}