United Nations Support for Equal-Sized Map Projection

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by a vote of 164 to 1 supporting the Equal Earth projection, which accurately depicts the sizes of Africa and other equatorial regions. This step aims to change centuries-old map perception.

Distortions of the Mercator Projection

Designed in the 16th century for maritime trade and colonial exploration, the Mercator map significantly distorts the sizes of continents as they move away from the equator.

Because of this projection, Greenland appears as large as Africa contrary to reality, while North America and European regions are shown much larger than they actually are.

Details of the United Nations Resolution

Submitted under the leadership of Togo on behalf of the African Group and with the support of the African Union, the draft resolution was adopted in the General Assembly with 164 votes in favor.

This non-binding resolution aims to encourage schools, institutions, and technology companies to transition to the Equal Earth projection.

Voting Process and Abstentions

The United States was the only country to vote against the draft, describing the text of the resolution as a radical ideological project.

Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine were among the countries that abstained from the vote.

Future Implementation Steps

Meetings led by Togo are planned with the participation of UNESCO and technology companies such as Google to implement the projection adopted by the African Union in March.