The United Nations General Assembly has formally approved a resolution calling for a global transition away from the traditional Mercator projection map toward proportionally accurate world maps, such as the Equal Earth projection. Sponsored by Togo and backed by the African Union, the non-binding measure aims to rectify centuries of visual distortion that understates the geographic size of developing nations in equatorial regions while dramatically exaggerating the scale of northern landmasses. The resolution secured overwhelmingly broad international backing, receiving 164 votes in favor, including support from the United Kingdom. The United States cast the sole opposing vote, while six other member states chose to abstain during the historic assembly session.
While the UN declaration does not outright prohibit the use of the Mercator map, it strongly encourages national governments, educational institutions, multilateral bodies, and technology providers to implement equal-area cartographic standards whenever land proportions matter. For generations, standard classroom walls and digital platforms have relied heavily on standard conformal projections that distort relative land sizes. Under the new resolution, global stakeholders are encouraged to adopt modern visual representations like the Equal Earth map, created by cartographers in 2018 to offer a visually balanced and geometrically precise depiction of the planet's continents without sacrificing aesthetic clarity.
Addressing the Legacy of Cartographic Colonialism
The standard Mercator projection, originally engineered by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569 for ocean navigation, preserves accurate angles and shapes for sailors but severely distorts physical area as landmasses move further from the equator. Because Africa straddles the equator, its true spatial footprint is heavily compressed relative to high-latitude territories in the Northern Hemisphere. Consequently, traditional maps show Greenland as roughly equal in size to the African continent. In geographic reality, Africa spans over 30 million square kilometers, making it approximately 14 times larger than Greenland. Equatorial regions throughout Latin America and South Asia suffer similar visual shrinkages.
Addressing the African Group at the UN prior to the vote, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized that map projections carry profound socio-political implications beyond basic physical geography. He argued that maps shape fundamental human perceptions of power, continental influence, and global relevance, often instilling biased worldviews during early childhood education. Dussey clarified that African nations are not seeking artificial exaggeration or preferential treatment in international iconography. Instead, the initiative demands an accurate depiction of the continent’s vast geographic reality, strategic importance, and growing contributions to solving shared global crises alongside the rest of the international community.
The Evolution of Equal-Area Mapping
Concerns over Western-centric map visualisations are not new to geography. In 1973, German historian Arno Peters popularised the Gall-Peters projection, challenging the dominance of Mercator map standards by presenting an equal-area visual model. While Gall-Peters accurately represented continental areas, it faced criticism from modern cartographers for visually stretching landmasses near the equator. The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018 by an international consortium of mapping experts, resolves these visual distortions. It maintains true surface area proportions while offering visually pleasing continental outlines, making it a viable standard for modern educational materials, wall maps, and digital mapping tools.
The initiative gained momentum through the grassroots campaign dubbed Correct the Map, which accumulated over 11,000 public signatures supporting cartographic reform. Recognizing the campaign's alignment with broader pan-African diplomatic priorities, the African Union officially endorsed the effort in August 2025 and designated Togo to lead diplomatic outreach at the UN level. Proponents emphasized that as the African continent expands economically and demographically, continuing to present its geographic expanse as diminished on world maps undermines its structural role in global affairs. The campaign links visual representation directly to international equity and historical justice.
Broader Diplomatic and Historical Context
Togo’s diplomatic push aligns with wider efforts at the United Nations to address lingering structural inequalities stemming from colonial history. Foreign Minister Dussey noted that the map resolution shares thematic continuity with a separate African Union-supported measure adopted by the UN General Assembly earlier this year. That landmark resolution, which received 123 votes in favor, officially designated the transatlantic slave trade as the gravest crime against humanity in recorded history. By tackling both historical grievances and ongoing systemic misrepresentations, African diplomats aim to reframe how international institutions view the Global South in historical and contemporary contexts.
Implementation Strategy with Tech Giants and UNESCO
Translating the UN's non-binding resolution into everyday global practice presents complex practical challenges, particularly within digital mapping ecosystem providers. To address these operational details, the Togolese government plans to convene an international summit in its capital city of Lomé during the first quarter of next year. Organized in partnership with UNESCO, the African Union, and leading technological companies including Google Maps, the conference will explore technical strategies for integrating equal-area projections across popular navigation applications, educational software, publishing standards, and international broadcast media.
A Changing Global Standard for Geography
The overwhelming passage of the resolution signals a growing international consensus around updating basic educational tools to reflect geometric truth. While digital applications like satellite viewers already utilize dynamic globe projections for zoomed-out views, flat static maps across classrooms and news outlets predominantly rely on traditional projections. Cartographers hope that endorsement by the UN General Assembly will encourage textbook publishers, national governments, and media networks worldwide to phase out skewed depictions. By doing so, future generations may develop a realistic spatial awareness of global geography, ensuring that all continents are recognized according to their true dimensions.
