The United Nations General Assembly voted 164-1 to endorse the Equal Earth map projection, an alternative to the Mercator projection that has shaped how much of the world pictures the globe since the 16th century.
The resolution encourages adoption of the Equal Earth map.
It does not ban the Mercator projection or require anyone to replace it. Togo sponsored the measure with backing from African Union members.
The United States cast the only vote against. Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine abstained.
The Mercator projection was built for European ocean navigation and preserves compass bearings at the cost of area, enlarging landmasses near the poles and shrinking those near the equator.
On a Mercator map, Greenland and Africa appear roughly the same size. The Equal Earth projection, introduced in 2018, renders Africa about 14 times larger than Greenland.
“Maps shape our understanding of the world,” Togo’s foreign minister said. “They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that “correcting a representation that distorts it is already an act of truth.”
The advocacy group Africa No Filter led the campaign, calling for accurate maps in schools, textbooks, newsrooms and digital platforms.
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