{
  "id": 5795781,
  "title": "UN votes to redraw map to show true size of all countries",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/un-votes-to-redraw-map-to-show-true-size-of-all-countries",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T15:39:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/un-votes-to-redraw-map-to-show-true-size-of-all-countries-1.500664400"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United Nations has voted to redraw the map to more accurately reflect the true size of all countries. Backed by African nations, the resolution passed at the UN General Assembly calls for maps to better represent the relative size of countries. The proposal received a vote of 164 in favor, with only the United States voting against it. Six countries abstained from the vote, according to UN News.\n\nThe resolution does not prohibit the use of the Mercator projection, a cylindrical map that distorts the size of regions far from the equator. Instead, it encourages the use of the Equal Earth projection or other maps that take relative size into account. The Mercator projection, according to Independent.co.uk, exaggerates the size of areas further from the equator, leading to the misconception that Africa is roughly the same size as Greenland when it is actually 14 times larger.\n\nRobert Dussey, Togo's foreign minister, emphasized the importance of accurate maps during the vote. He stated that maps shape our understanding of the world, guiding education, imagination, and collective perceptions. In a briefing to the African Group at the UN, Dussey clarified that Africa is not seeking preferential treatment but rather for its reality, aspirations, and contributions to be properly considered in the international system.",
  "summary": "The world is about to change… literally, when a resolution passed at the UN General Assembly is acted upon. The resolution, backed by African countries, pushes for the maps to represent more accurately the relative size of contents. The proposal got a vote of 164 to 1, with the US being the only country against it. It called the initiative part of a \"radical ideological project”. Six countries…",
  "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."
}