The UN has endorsed a resolution promoting map projections that accurately depict Africa's size, moving away from the Mercator projection. The US opposed the initiative, calling it part of a "radical ideological project."
The UN's endorsement of a more accurate map projection, despite US opposition, highlights a global push for greater representation and cognitive justice, challenging long-standing cartographic standards that have historically distorted perceptions of global geography.
The United Nations has largely endorsed a resolution aimed at promoting maps that accurately represent the scale of continents, following an African-led campaign to shift away from the widely used 16th-century Mercator projection. The Mercator projection, created in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation, distorts the size of landmasses, making those further from the Equator appear larger. This results in continents like Africa appearing significantly smaller than their actual size relative to Northern Hemisphere countries.
During the UN vote, the United States was the only nation to oppose the initiative, with its delegation characterizing the resolution as part of a "much larger and more radical ideological project" and urging "countries to instill common sense to this body." Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine abstained from voting.
Robert Dussey, Togo's foreign minister and the lead negotiator for the African group, stated prior to the vote that "A fair map does not change the geography of the world." The non-binding resolution asserts that "correcting cartographic distortions of continental sizes constitutes an act of cognitive justice and memorial reparation." It further calls on countries to promote the so-called Equal Earth projection, including within educational systems. Following the adoption, Dussey expressed on X that "This decision is about much more than cartography. It is about justice, dignity, equality and the way we represent our world."