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UN Backs New World Map That Makes Africa Look Bigger; US Votes Against
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution supporting the Equal Earth projection, with 164 countries voting in favour, the United States opposing it and six countries abstaining.
The United Nations General Assembly has backed a new approach to displaying the world map that gives a more accurate visual representation of the relative sizes of continents.
The resolution supporting the Equal Earth cartographic projection was approved with 164 countries voting in favour. The United States voted against the measure, while six countries abstained.
The initiative seeks to encourage UN member states to use the Equal Earth projection instead of the widely known Mercator map, which has been used for centuries and was originally developed for navigation.
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Why Does Africa Look Bigger on the New Map?
The key difference between the two projections is how they represent the size of land masses.
The Mercator projection was created by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It was designed primarily to help sailors navigate across the globe by preserving certain directional properties.
However, its method of transferring the curved surface of Earth onto a flat map creates significant distortions in the apparent size of regions, particularly as they move farther from the equator.
As a result, areas in the northern and southern extremes can appear substantially larger than their actual surface area.
Africa, which lies largely closer to the equator, appears much smaller on a conventional Mercator map than its actual land area would suggest.
The Equal Earth projection takes a different approach by maintaining a much closer relationship between the visual size of continents and their actual surface areas.
What Is the Equal Earth Projection?
The Equal Earth projection was introduced in 2018 by a group of cartographers.
It is designed as an equal-area world map, meaning the relative surface areas of regions are preserved more accurately.
Under this projection, Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear considerably larger than they do on the traditional Mercator representation.
Cartographer Bojan Savric has explained that Equal Earth is intended to preserve the relative areas of continents while maintaining shapes that remain reasonably close to how they appear on a globe.
The result is a world map in which the enormous size of Africa becomes much more visually apparent.
Why Did the UN Support the Change?
The resolution was sponsored by Togo, with Foreign Minister Robert Dussey arguing that maps influence how people understand geography and the wider world.
The argument behind the initiative is that maps are not merely technical tools. They are also widely used in schools, textbooks and public communication and can influence how generations perceive the relative importance and size of different regions.
Supporters therefore view the Equal Earth projection as a way of reducing the distortions created by older mapping systems.
The UN resolution describes the new projection as improving the accuracy of cartographic representation of the world and encourages member states to consider using it instead of the Mercator projection.
Why Did the United States Oppose the Resolution?
The United States took a sharply different view of the initiative.
US representative Yaryna Ferencevych criticised the General Assembly’s focus on changing map projections, arguing that the organisation should concentrate on more substantive global problems.
The US position also questioned the relevance of discussions connecting historic map representations with issues such as reparations and “cognitive justice.”
The disagreement highlights a broader divide over whether changing the way the world is visually represented should be treated as an important international issue or as a symbolic exercise.
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France Supports the New Map
France was among the countries supporting the resolution and announced that it would move away from the Mercator projection.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot argued that the traditional map gives disproportionate visual prominence to countries and regions such as the United States, Russia and China.
He also pointed to the striking difference in how Greenland and Africa appear on the Mercator map, despite their very different actual surface areas.
Barrot acknowledged that changing a map cannot alter the physical world but argued that correcting an inaccurate visual representation can still be meaningful.
Does the New Map Actually Change the Size of Africa
No.
Africa’s physical size has not changed. The difference is entirely about cartographic representation.
A world map is an attempt to display a three-dimensional planet on a two-dimensional surface. Every projection involves some form of compromise involving area, shape, distance or direction.
The Equal Earth projection prioritises preserving relative area, which means Africa appears closer to its true proportion compared with Europe and North America.
Why Is the Mercator Map Still Widely Used?
The Mercator projection has remained popular because of its historical usefulness for navigation.
Its preservation of angles and directions made it particularly valuable for maritime navigation, which was its original purpose.
However, a map designed for navigation is not necessarily the best choice for comparing the actual sizes of continents.
This distinction is one of the central arguments behind the push for wider adoption of Equal Earth.
What Could Change With Equal Earth?
If the Equal Earth projection becomes more widely adopted in classrooms, publications and international organisations, people could increasingly encounter a world map where the relative scale of continents is more accurate.
Africa would appear substantially larger than it does on many familiar Mercator maps, while northern regions such as Europe and North America would occupy a smaller proportion of the overall map.
The UN resolution is therefore primarily about encouraging a change in representation, rather than introducing any change to geographical boundaries.
FAQ
What is the Equal Earth map?
Equal Earth is a world-map projection introduced in 2018 that is designed to represent the relative surface areas of continents more accurately.
Why does Africa look bigger on the Equal Earth map?
Africa appears larger because the Equal Earth projection preserves the relative areas of land masses more accurately than the Mercator projection.
Did Africa actually become bigger?
No. Africa’s physical size has not changed. Only its appearance on the map has changed because of the different projection.
How many countries supported the UN resolution?
The resolution received support from 164 countries.
Did the United States support the new world map?
No. The United States voted against the resolution.
How many countries abstained?
Six countries abstained from the vote, according to the supplied information.
Who created the Mercator projection?
The Mercator projection was developed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.
When was the Equal Earth projection created?
The Equal Earth projection was introduced in 2018 by a group of cartographers.
Why does Greenland look so large on some world maps?
The Mercator projection increasingly enlarges the apparent size of regions as they move toward the poles. This makes Greenland appear far larger relative to equatorial regions than its actual surface area would suggest.
Does the UN’s decision make the Equal Earth map mandatory?
The supplied information describes the resolution as urging member states to use the Equal Earth projection. It does not state that countries are legally required to abandon the Mercator projection.
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The post UN Backs New World Map That Makes Africa Look Bigger; US Votes Against first appeared on informalnewz.
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