New World Map Upsets Multiple Countries: Full List
Summary
The United Nations approved a resolution encouraging the use of a new world map projection called Equal Earth, which shows continents' true sizes more accurately than the commonly used Mercator projection. The United States voted against the resolution, while several other countries abstained, citing concerns about border disputes and map details.Key Facts
- The UN resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection as a more accurate way to show the size of continents.
- The Mercator map, created in 1569, distorts continent sizes, making places like Greenland appear much larger compared to Africa.
- Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland, which Mercator maps do not show correctly.
- The resolution was led by Togo on behalf of the African Union, emphasizing fairness and true geographical knowledge.
- The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection but encourages more balanced map use globally.
- The United States was the only country to vote against the measure, calling it a “radical ideological project.”
- Six countries abstained from the vote, including Ukraine, which had concerns about how its territory was shown.
- The African Union praised the resolution as a historic step toward fair representation of Africa on maps.
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