United Nations Adopts New World Map Correcting Africa's Size
Following a proposal by Togo, the new world map replacing the 16th-century Mercator map was adopted at the UN, with the US being the only country to oppose the decision.
The United Nations has approved a new world map proposal submitted by Togo to more accurately reflect the true sizes of Africa and other regions. In the vote, the US was the only country to oppose the decision, while six countries abstained.
New World Map Decision
The United Nations has overwhelmingly adopted a proposal for a new world map to replace the existing 16th-century map. Entitled "Correct the Map," the draft resolution aims to officially phase out the standard Mercator map, which cartographers state distorts the true size of landmasses.
Size Distortions of the Mercator Map
Tom Patterson, a retired cartographer from the US National Park Service, stated that the 16th-century map was useful during the age of exploration and colonialism, but today conveys a completely distorted view to students in classrooms regarding the sizes of countries. For instance, Greenland appears equal in size to the African continent with its massive appearance left behind, whereas it is actually fourteen times smaller.
Voting Results and Abstentions
Adopted with 164 votes in favor of the resolution spearheaded by Togo, the US was recorded as the sole member country to cast a negative vote. A total of six countries—Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine—abstained from the vote.
The United States' Rationale
Yaryna Ferencevych, one of the United States' representatives to the United Nations, issued a statement explaining the reasons for opposing the decision. Ferencevych stated that the initiative was presented as an innocent map-update effort, but could not be considered separately as it is part of a much larger and more radical ideological project.
Ukraine's Stance
Ukraine, which was among the countries that abstained during the vote, stated that it experienced disagreements regarding the way the new map reflects Russian territories and therefore approached the draft with reservation.