The United Nations has voted to replace the predominant world map with one that vastly increases the size of Africa – while shrinking the UK and US.
It is the culmination of a recent campaign led by African countries and advocacy groups to reject ‘cartographic colonialism’.
The General Assembly has accepted the ‘Correct the Map’ resolution and decided to move away from the centuries-old Mercator map and replace it with a new map, the Equal Earth projection.
Critics of the Mercator map, which was originally designed for sea travel and not general use, have long argued it reflects Western assumptions about the world by making Africa smaller.
The Mercator projection makes Greenland and Africa appear about the same size, even though Africa is in reality about 14 times larger.
Campaigners argue the map causes a psychological effect by making some places look smaller than they are and others larger, as we instinctively view bigger things as more important.
The UN has voted to replace the centuries-old Mercator map (pictured) with one that vastly increases the size of Africa – while shrinking the UK and US
The General Assembly has accepted the ‘Correct the Map’ resolution and decided to move towards a new map, the Equal Earth projection (pictured)
Graphic showing how the Mercator map increases the apparent size of countries in the northern hemisphere, while shrinking those near the equator
A supporter of the change, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, told news agency Reuters: ‘A fair world begins with a fair map.’
He told a UN briefing earlier: ‘A map is never neutral. It shapes perceptions, influences how the place of peoples and continents in the world is understood.’
Friday’s resolution was sponsored by Togo and backed by members of the African Union, passing with 164 member states voting in favour.
Only the US voted against it while six other countries – Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine – abstained.
The new resolution does not ban the Mercator projection or impose a replacement, it only encourages governments and institutions worldwide to use the Equal Earth projection.
‘Maps shape our understanding of the world,’ the global body quoted Togo´s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey as saying before the vote. ‘They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.’
But US representative at the UN, Yaryna Ferencevych, said the resolution mocked the work and purpose of the UN General Assembly.
She said: ‘Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th Century, and their role in promoting reparations and “cognitive justice”.’
The US was also critical when a UN resolution was adopted in March declaring the transatlantic slave trade ‘the gravest crime against humanity’.
The Mercator map was designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator to help Europeans navigate across the world at sea.
But to help with this task, he distorted the map to accommodate the curvature of the Earth by making countries near the equator seem smaller than they are, with countries nearer the poles appearing larger.
Whenever a map of the world is drawn, compromises need to be made, as it is impossible to accurately represent the surface of a globe on a two-dimensional chart.
Geographers say the traditional map is only useful for navigation. ‘Outside of that very narrow navigation application, there is no point in using it,’ according to Mark Monmonier, a Syracuse University professor of geography.
Despite its issues, more than 450 years on, Mercator’s creation is still the basis for many of the maps we see in classrooms, on TV and online, including Google Maps.
In an effort to address Mercator’s weaknesses, a team of cartographers in 2018 created an equal area map they called the Equal Earth projection.
It follows the Earth´s curvature and shows continents in their true proportions.
But to do this, it sacrifices the straight lines that made the Mercator projection perfect for navigating with – meaning it cannot be used for measuring the true distance between different places.
Africa No Filter, one of the lead campaigners for the adoption of the new map, hailed the resolution, adding: ‘We want to see accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms, businesses and on the digital platforms billions of people use every day.’
Several countries hailed the adoption, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot writing on X after the vote: ‘Changing the map obviously doesn´t change the world. But correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth.’
Lerato Mogoatlhe from Africa No Filter, one of the groups behind the campaign to ditch the Mercator map, told the BBC: ‘Africa’s misrepresentation on world maps is not just a cartographic error – it’s a narrative issue.’
She claims it was part of efforts to stop the ‘world’s longest misinformation and disinformation’ about Africa.
Kenyan geographer Kioko Muendo argued it implicitly downplayed Africa’s vast resources, population and investment opportunities.
What is the Mercator map?
In 1569 the the Mercator map was created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator.
Its main purpose was to help European sailors navigate the oceans.
Cartography Professor James Cheshire at University College London claims Mercator wanted a straight line to be drawn on a map to look like a straight line in reality if you followed a compass bearing.
Gerhardus Mercator (1512-1594)
That was the map’s purpose, and it did what he intended it to do ‘brilliantly well’ he told the BBC.
But to keep the angles correct on a flat map, Mercator had to stretch the grid lines wider as they moved away from the equator toward the poles.
This means the curvature of the Earth warped the map by making countries near the equator seem much smaller than they are, with countries nearer the poles appearing stretched.
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