Only the United States Voted Against, With Its Representative Calling the Resolution Superfluous

The UN General Assembly voted Friday by a large majority to adopt a resolution calling for Africa to be depicted more accurately in size on maps. The resolution criticizes the commonly used Mercator map for portraying Africa and regions near the equator as smaller than they actually are, a distortion critics say perpetuates historical discrimination. In the vote, 164 countries supported the resolution, which urges the world to formally replace the Mercator world map with one that more accurately reflects Africa's size.

Only the United States voted against, with its representative calling the resolution superfluous. There were six abstentions. The Mercator map was created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerhard Mercator for maritime navigation.

Its cylindrical projection renders regions near the equator smaller than those closer to the poles. Five hundred years later, it remains the global standard, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. Africa appears nearly the same size as Greenland, though the continent is 14 times larger than the Danish territory, a petition cited by the paper states.

In reality, the US, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and large parts of Europe would fit within Africa's area, with room to spare. The resolution, introduced by Togo and supported by African Union states, argues the distorted depiction also misrepresents the continent's significance. It says the current representation has a long-term impact on perceptions of the world, states, and borders, undervaluing Africa's influence and distorting its image.

The text also calls for preserving cultural heritage and eliminating historically rooted inequality and discrimination. The resolution notes that maps heavily influence science and education, and that Latin America is also affected. Historians and geographers have long pointed out that the projection is based on Western stereotypes, reinforcing biases by visually overrepresenting the northern hemisphere relative to the Global South.

Because the Earth's spherical shape cannot be perfectly rendered on flat surfaces, the resolution suggests using the Equal Earth projection, developed in 2018, as an alternative. Other options include the Gall-Peters projection. International standards for more accurate continent representation are to be developed, with states, digital platforms, IT firms, civil society, and institutions like schools urged to raise awareness about projection effects.

Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told The Guardian the debate is scientific, not political. UN resolutions are not directly binding, but the vote could reinvigorate the discussion and prompt updates to school textbooks. )