The resolution, called “Correct the Map,” was supported by 164 countries. Six countries abstained, while only the United States voted against. The initiative was proposed by member states of the African Union, along with the Bahamas. It aims to correct the way the world has been depicted on maps for centuries, particularly the size of Africa.
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the use of a new world map that more accurately depicts the real size of continents and countries. The resolution, called “Correct the Map,” was supported by 164 countries. Only the United States voted against, while 6 countries abstained: Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine. After the vote, the Serbian Foreign Ministry explained that Belgrade’s abstention was related to the way the new map depicts Kosovo. The resolution promotes the “Equal Earth” projection, in which Kosovo appears as a separate state.
Belgrade argues that supporting the resolution could be interpreted as an indirect recognition of Kosovo’s independence, so it decided to abstain. The initiative was proposed by African Union member states, along with the Bahamas. It aims to correct the way the world has been depicted on maps for centuries, particularly the size of Africa.
WHY IS THE MAP CHANGING?
Many of the maps in use today are based on the Mercator projection, created in 1569 by European cartographer Gerardus Mercator. This map is very useful for navigation, but it does not accurately represent the size of the continents. Countries and territories located far from the equator appear much larger than they actually are.
For example, on the Mercator map, Greenland appears almost as large as Africa, while in reality Africa is about 14 times larger than Greenland. According to the UN, these distortions have affected the way people perceive the size and importance of different Regions of the world, especially Africa, Latin America, and South Asia.
THE NEW MAP IS CALLED “EQUAL EARTH”
The resolution recommends using the Equal Earth projection, a projection created in 2018 that more accurately depicts the relative size of continents and countries. In this map, Africa appears significantly larger, while Greenland and Europe appear closer to their actual size.
The African Union has already approved the map and has called for it to be used by international institutions. France has also backed the initiative. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the country would move away from the Mercator projection and use maps that more accurately show the size of territories.
THE CHANGE COULD ALSO AFFECT DIGITAL MAPS
The resolution also calls on technology companies and digital mapping platforms to consider using more accurate projections. Platforms like Google Maps currently use a version of the Mercator projection.
The initiative to change the map has long been supported by other countries. New Zealand, for example, has criticized the way it is depicted on traditional maps, as it is located at the bottom of the map and often seems to “disappear”. With the Equal Earth map, the goal is to show each continent closer to its real size and to see the world in a more balanced way.