UN General Assembly votes 164 to 1 to adopt true-size world map projection

General Assembly vote

On 4 September 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution promoting cartographic representations that reflect the true geographic proportions of Earth's continents. The initiative, submitted by Togo on behalf of the African Union and co-sponsored by France, received 164 votes in favour, six abstentions, and one vote against from the United States. The measure encourages international organisations and member states to adopt equal-area map formats, specifically the Equal Earth projection introduced in 2018. The decision aims to modernise standard world maps across international reports, educational curricula, and United Nations agencies.

Correcting centuries of Mercator distortion

For over four centuries, global cartography has relied on the projection designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator. Originally engineered to assist maritime navigators with straight compass bearings, the Mercator projection distorts continental surface areas as distance from the equator increases. High-latitude regions such as Europe and North America appear substantially enlarged, while equatorial landmasses appear compressed. Under Mercator's layout, Greenland appears comparable in size to Africa, despite Africa measuring 30 million square kilometres and possessing roughly 14 times Greenland's surface area.

Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, feed the imagination and influence collective perceptions. They are therefore never neutral: when they give a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating erroneous representations passed down from generation to generation.

African diplomatic mobilization

The diplomatic drive behind the resolution stems from the "Correct the Map" campaign launched by two African organisations, backed by an online petition on Change.org that gathered more than 11,000 signatures. African leaders and citizens have pointed out that Africa is the second-largest continent after Asia, which spans 44 million square kilometres. Proponents argued that conventional maps obscure Africa's capacity to contain the landmasses of the United States, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and much of Europe combined. Speaking after the vote in New York, Togo's foreign minister noted that the resolution represented an important step in correcting representations contested for over four decades.

A feeling of pride. Because finally, Africa is fighting to regain its place in the concert of nations. Correct the Map is one of the important actions that goes in the direction of the reparation that African populations have been asking for for more than four decades.

European shifts and national adoptions

European Union member states backed the initiative, with France making parallel policy adjustments. Speaking at the opening of La Fabrique de la diplomatie in Paris on 4 September 2026, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that France will abandon the Mercator projection in favour of the Eckert IV projection, developed by German cartographer Max Eckert. The Eckert IV standard preserves continental area proportions while presenting high-latitude zones in reduced, realistic dimensions. Barrot noted that cartographic distortions gradually embed themselves into political perceptions, requiring deliberate state action to correct.

These distortions end up settling into perceptions. The time has come for us to correct it.