The UN sends a message to the world: Stop making Africa look small

By 164 votes to one, Member States on Friday supported a resolution that pushed for map projections that more accurately reflected the actual size of the continent – ​​which was the culmination of an African-led campaign against the 16th century Mercator projection, which is still the most widely used map in the world.

The United States cast the sole dissenting vote, dismissing the initiative as part of a “radical ideological project.”

Six countries – Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine – abstained.

The resolution did not prohibit the Mercator projection or impose a replacement. Instead, it encourages governments, schools, international organizations and technology companies to use Equal Earth projections and other equivalent area maps when relative size is important, and to teach the limitations of flat maps in representing a spherical planet.

Behind this seemingly technical debate lies a larger argument about history and power: whether the maps designed for European sailors in the 16th century have, over generations, distorted not only geography but also the perception of a whole, vast, and complex continent.

“Maps shape our understanding of the world,” Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, said before the vote. “They guide education, foster imagination, and influence collective perception.”

Made small

Gerardus Mercator, a Flemish cartographer, designed his projection in 1569 to solve the practical problem of maritime navigation. Because straight lines on his charts corresponded to constant compass directions, sailors could use them to plan their course.

But maintaining direction comes at the expense of territory. The land appears to get bigger the further it is from the Equator.

grazing land, for exampleit is roughly comparable in size to Africa, although Africa is approx 14 times bigger. Northern Europe and North America also experienced similar enlargement, compared to equatorial regions.

Despite its original navigational purpose, Mercator remains commonly used in educational, media, digital, and official materials. The resolution states that these distortions contribute to the “symbolic minimization” of Africa and perpetuate an unbalanced worldview.

‘Fair map’

Togo led the negotiations on behalf of the African group, continuing a campaign supported by the African Union.

The resolution describes correcting the distortions as an act of “cognitive justice and memorial improvement” and points to Equal Earth, developed in 2018, as a projection that more accurately represents relative sizes.

Mr. Dussey emphasized that this effort was not intended to condemn Mercator, whose usefulness he acknowledged in navigation, or to impose a single projection.

“Fair maps don’t change the geography of the world, they change the way we see the world,” he said.

Washington objected

The United States saw something far more political in this effort.

“This resolution makes a mockery of the work and goals of this institution,” the American representative said, arguing that what was seen as a harmless effort to update cartographic proportions was part of a “much larger and radical ideological project.”

The representative highlighted the resolution’s references to reparations and “cognitive justice,” and called such initiatives “a barrier to our work here and a reason why this agency is losing its credibility.”

France moved in the opposite direction. Hours before the vote, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Paris planned to abandon Mercator in favor of its world map, aligning his government with broader efforts championed by the African Union.

This shift means that France itself, like the United States and Russia, will appear smaller compared to equatorial countries.

This illustrates the unusual dynamics of a debate that has been going on for decades. Maps with the same area do not make Africa larger; they eliminated the exaggerated attitude that Mercator gave to lands closer to the poles.

Border rebellion

Ukraine says it supports efforts to correct historical distortions affecting Africa and other Southern regions, but objects to the way some maps using Equal Earth depict areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia.

Its representatives warned that supporting such projections without adequate safeguards could open a “Pandora’s box,” allowing the map to create ambiguity over disputed areas.

The European Union supports the resolution but also expresses similar concerns.

Speaking on behalf of the bloc, Ireland stressed that the measures only apply to the relative size of the landmass and have nothing to do with sovereignty, territorial status or internationally recognized borders.

The bloc also said its support does not constitute an endorsement of the map displayed on the Equal Earth website.

The view is not perfect

The resolution itself acknowledges the existence of fundamental problems that cannot be resolved through a vote. No projection can perfectly reproduce the earth’s curved surface in a plane. Each sacrifices something – area, shape, distance or direction – and each is adapted for different purposes.

This action was non-binding, and Mercator would not disappear into the library halls, never to be seen again.

But Friday’s vote lends international support to an argument increasingly emphasized by many countries in Africa: that the choices we make on maps can shape the way generations understand the world.