UN Adopts New World Map Showing Africa's True Size.
The UN General Assembly voted Friday to promote the Equal Earth map projection as a global standard, replacing the 500-year-old Mercator. 164 member states voted yes; only the United States voted no.
- 164 nations voted in favor; six abstained; the US cast the lone no vote.
- Africa is 14 times larger than Greenland; the Mercator map makes them appear similar.
- The resolution does not ban the Mercator projection outright.
- France announced it will drop the Mercator in favor of equal-area representations.
Why it matters: The resolution is non-binding but could reshape classroom maps and digital platforms worldwide. Google Maps currently uses a Mercator-based projection.
- The draft text warns Mercator distortions fuel "prejudices in the environmental, geopolitical and security fields."
- JJ Enoch, a senior associate at geopolitical risk firm JS Held, said equal-area maps would give "a more accurate basis for education and public understanding."
How 21 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage agrees on the vote outcome but divides on whether the campaign is primarily a cartographic correction or a political and symbolic act tied to anti-colonial grievance.
Center coverage, 11 sources: The center presents the vote as a significant multilateral milestone, leading with the lopsided 164-1 result and treating the equal-area shift as a practical mapping update with geopolitical implications.
Reuters17hONU aprova resolução em apoio a mapa que mostra o verdadeiro tamanho da África
Associated Press10hAsamblea General de la ONU respalda nuevo mapa mundial que muestra mejor el tamaño de África
BBC News17hUN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size
Deutsche Welle11hUN approves world map reflecting true size of Africa
France 2416hUN ditches Mercator map to adopt more accurate one reflecting Africa's true size
Japan Times9hAfrica bigger and U.S. smaller: U.N. adopts new map
Newsweek1dUN votes on major world map change: Different versions compared
NPR12hThe U.N. backs a new world map showing Africa in its true relative size
Sky News15hCountries vote at UN to back new world map that shows Africa's true sizeYNYahoo News11hUN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa's sizeLeft coverage, 5 sources: The left frames the vote as a long-overdue correction to cartographic colonialism — a symbolic and moral reckoning with how Western map-making has distorted global perceptions of Africa's size and importance.
The Guardian1dUN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
CNN20hUN to vote on adopting new map that would make our world look very different
The Independent29mUN votes to adopt new world map that shows true size of all countries
Al Jazeera15hUN votes to adopt new world map that reflects Africa’s true size
Gizmodo12hUN Approves Resolution for World Map That Depicts Africa's Size More AccuratelyRight coverage, 5 sources: The right covers the technical cartographic differences in detail, foregrounding the projection mechanics and noting that all flat maps involve distortion, treating the political framing as one perspective among several.
Boston Herald11hUN General Assembly endorses a new world map that shows more accurately Africa’s size
Citizen Free Press18hUN votes to adopt new map showing true size of continents — Africa is actually 14x times larger than it appears.
Daily Mail1dThe map of the world as you know it will completely change to show countries' true sizes under UN resolution - with Africa much larger
National Post8hUN adopts ‘more accurate’ world map with larger Africa and smaller North America, Europe
New York Post3hUN endorses new world map showing Africa’s true size — after US voted against itWhat’s next: Togo will host a 2027 implementation event with UNESCO, the African Union, and Google Maps.
- The resolution urges tech platforms to engage with member states on adopting the new projection.
- Will major tech platforms like Google Maps adopt the Equal Earth projection, and on what timeline?
- Which countries abstained, and will the US position shift under diplomatic pressure?
- How will the non-binding resolution translate into enforceable curriculum or platform changes?