UN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size
Summary
The United Nations General Assembly approved a new world map design that shows Africa’s size more accurately compared to the traditional map. This change follows a campaign led by African countries and encourages the use of the Equal Earth projection, which better reflects the true sizes of continents.Key Facts
- The UN General Assembly voted 164 in favor, 1 (the U.S.) against, and 6 abstained on the new map resolution.
- The resolution was sponsored by Togo and supported by the African Union.
- The new map uses the Equal Earth projection, which shows continents in their actual proportions.
- On the traditional Mercator map, Africa looks about the same size as Greenland, but the new map shows Africa as 14 times larger.
- The Mercator projection was created for sea navigation and distorts sizes near the poles, making some places look bigger than they are.
- The new resolution encourages the use of the Equal Earth map but does not ban the Mercator map.
- Supporters want accurate maps to be used in schools, media, and digital platforms worldwide.
- Experts say the traditional Mercator map is mainly useful only for navigation, not for showing correct land sizes.
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