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UN Adopts Equal Earth Projection to Correct Distorted World Maps — AI-generated representative image: The Equal Earth projection, which shows continents in true proportions, displayed in a classroom.

Editorial Team

General Assembly votes 164-1 to replace the Mercator projection, which inflates Europe and North America while shrinking Africa and South Asia.

The United Nations General Assembly voted 164 to 1 on Friday to adopt a resolution promoting the Equal Earth projection, a map format that shows continents in their true proportions, as an alternative to the widely used Mercator projection.

Led by Togo on behalf of the African Group and backed by the African Union, the resolution encourages schools, institutions and technology companies to switch, correcting a four-century-old distortion that shrinks Africa, Latin America and South Asia.

The vote addresses a long-standing cartographic imbalance that has shaped public perception of the world for nearly 500 years. On Mercator maps, Greenland appears roughly the size of Africa, when Africa is actually about 14 times larger.

The change matters because maps influence education, imagination and collective perception, according to Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who said the resolution affirms African reality.

Vote Outcome and Key Decisions

The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, describing the measure as a "radical ideological project." Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine abstained.

The resolution is nonbinding. The UN said it does not ban Mercator or impose a replacement, but simply encourages wider use of the Equal Earth projection.

The African Group, which led the initiative, is the largest regional voting and dialogue bloc at the UN, consisting of 54 African Union member states.

Why Flat Maps Distort Reality

Every flat map contains distortion because the Earth is a sphere and no projection can flatten it without altering shape, area, distance or direction. Gerardus Mercator, a cartographer and geographer who published his world map in 1569, chose to preserve angles and straight bearings, a trade-off that made sense for 16th-century maritime navigation.

That choice, however, has continued shaping perceptions of the world for nearly five centuries. The exaggeration increases the farther one travels from the equator, inflating Europe, including Russia, and North America while shrinking Africa, Latin America and South Asia.

Equal Earth makes the opposite trade-off, preserving true area so continents can be compared honestly, at the cost of slightly bending their outlines.

Official Statements and Reactions

US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said before the vote that the resolution is "the reason this institution is losing its credibility." She added, "Instead of focusing on genuine problems, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century."

The African Union adopted Equal Earth in March, and the resolution builds on that earlier decision. The Mercator projection was originally designed for European colonial exploration and maritime trade in the 16th century.

What Happens Next

Togo is planning a meeting in Lome early next year with UNESCO, the African Union and technology companies including Google to determine what implementation looks like in practice.

Since the resolution is nonbinding, adoption of the Equal Earth projection will depend on voluntary action by schools, institutions and technology platforms rather than any formal requirement.

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