United Nations: The UN General Assembly has adopted an Africa-backed resolution calling for greater use of world map projections that more accurately reflect the actual size of continents. The resolution, introduced by Togo with the support of the African Union, received 164 votes in favour. The United States voted against, while six countries abstained. The measure is non-binding, meaning it does not require governments, schools or organisations to stop using the traditional maps.
At the heart of the initiative is the long-running debate over the Mercator projection, a map system developed in the 16th century primarily for navigation. While the projection is useful for maritime purposes, it significantly exaggerates the apparent size of landmasses as they move farther from the Equator.
This distortion is particularly noticeable in the case of Africa. On a conventional Mercator map, Greenland can appear similar in size to Africa, even though Africa is actually around 14 times larger. Alternative projections, including the Equal Earth projection, are designed to preserve the relative size of continents more accurately.
Why Africa Pushed for the Resolution
The UN initiative follows an African-led campaign to change the way the continent is represented on commonly used world maps. The African Union endorsed the “Correct the Map” campaign in 2025, with Togo taking the issue to the United Nations.
Supporters argue that the issue goes beyond cartography. They say the disproportionate representation of Africa can shape how students and the wider public perceive the geographical importance and scale of different regions.
The resolution therefore encourages countries and institutions to consider equal-area map projections, particularly for educational and informational purposes, while recognising that the Mercator projection continues to have legitimate uses, especially in navigation.
Why Did the US Oppose It?
The US vote against the resolution was primarily related to the role and priorities of the United Nations, rather than a rejection of the fact that Mercator distorts the relative size of continents.
Washington reportedly viewed the measure as unnecessary and questioned the value of the General Assembly spending time on what it considered an ideological or non-essential issue. The US position was that the UN should concentrate more heavily on major international challenges involving peace, security and prosperity.
The resolution’s non-binding nature also means that the vote will not force the US or any other country to change the maps it uses.
The overwhelming vote nevertheless represents a significant symbolic victory for the African Union and countries supporting the initiative. It has turned what might appear to be a technical debate over cartography into a wider conversation about geographical accuracy, representation and the historical influence of maps on perceptions of the world.
The message from the African-led initiative is straightforward: maps should not make Africa appear smaller than it really is, and modern mapping tools can provide a more accurate picture of the world’s geography without eliminating projections that serve specific purposes such as navigation.