LAGOS, Nigeria — The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution encouraging the adoption of map projections that display Africa’s true proportions, addressing long-standing criticisms that traditional maps distort the continent’s size. The initiative, known as “Correct the Map,” was introduced by Togo on behalf of the African Group and endorsed by the African Union.
Adopted on Friday, the resolution passed with 164 votes in favor, six abstentions, and a single vote against from the United States. Unlike binding treaties, the measure does not mandate the abandonment of the Mercator projection, which has been widely used for centuries. Instead, it promotes the use of equal-area projections, such as Equal Earth, which preserve relative landmass sizes, albeit with some shape distortion.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey emphasized the cultural and educational power of cartography before the vote. “Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions,” Dussey said.
The Equal Earth projection was developed in 2018 by Tom Patterson, a former senior cartographer at the U.S. National Park Service, along with colleagues Bojan Šavrič and Bernie Jenny. Patterson created the map to offer a more proportionally accurate depiction of global landmasses compared to the Mercator projection, designed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for naval navigation.
While Mercator maps maintain accurate shapes for sailing purposes, they significantly enlarge regions near the poles and shrink those near the equator. Patterson previously told NPR that using Mercator maps in classrooms gives students a “completely warped view” of global geography.
Critics of the resolution opposed it on political grounds. Yaryna Ferencevych, deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, stated that the vote reflected an “ideological agenda” that distracts from more urgent global issues, adding that such resolutions are “barnacles on our work here” that damage the institution’s credibility.
The African Union celebrated the outcome, stating in a post on X that the resolution ensures “the world map finally reflects Africa’s true scale, weight, and place in the world.” Patterson expressed astonishment at the UN’s support, writing on social media, “Wow… we never imagined this.” Carlos Lopes, a University of Cape Town professor and campaign advocate, called the vote “an emotional day” in his own X post.
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