Africa: UN Vote Gives Africa Rightful Size On World Map

What the report says

The United Nations General Assembly has backed an African-led effort to encourage wider use of the Equal Earth map projection instead of the long-dominant Mercator projection, according to Dabanga’s report distributed by AllAfrica. The vote, held in New York, was spearheaded by Togo on behalf of the African Union and passed overwhelmingly, with the United States the only vote against and several abstentions.

The campaign argues that the Mercator map, created in the 16th century for navigation, has long distorted the apparent size of Africa and other regions near the equator. Supporters say the effect has had educational, cultural and geopolitical consequences by making the continent look smaller and less significant than it is in reality. Equal Earth, developed in 2018, is presented as a more accurate way to show the relative area of continents on flat maps, even though no projection can eliminate distortion entirely.

The resolution is non-binding, so it does not force a worldwide switch. Still, it was described by African officials and campaigners as symbolically important because it challenges a visual tradition rooted in the colonial era and often used in classrooms, public institutions and digital services. The vote adds to wider African efforts to reshape how the continent is represented in global institutions and public knowledge.