Can you guess the real size of each country on the new world map?
Summary
The United Nations General Assembly voted to promote a new world map called the Equal Earth projection. This map shows countries and continents in their true size, correcting the distortions found in the older Mercator map that makes places near the poles look bigger and places near the equator look smaller.Key Facts
- The Mercator map, created in the 16th century, distorts the size of countries, making regions near the poles, like Greenland and Europe, look much bigger than they really are.
- Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland, but Mercator maps make them appear nearly the same size.
- The UN vote was 164 in favor, 1 against (the United States), and a few abstentions from some European countries.
- The resolution encourages schools, institutions, and tech companies to use the Equal Earth map instead of the Mercator map.
- The Equal Earth projection shows the correct area sizes of countries and continents, though shapes may appear slightly bent.
- The African Union and Togo led the effort to promote the map to better reflect the true size of African countries.
- The resolution is nonbinding, meaning it only recommends the change without requiring it.
- A meeting with UNESCO and tech companies, including Google, is planned to discuss how to put the change into practice.
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