U.N. General Assembly backs 'Correct the Map' push for maps that show Africa's true relative size

What happened The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Togo on behalf of the African Group that urges wider use of map projections preserving relative land area. The measure was approved on Friday by a vote of 164 in favor, one against and six abstentions.

The resolution, associated with the "Correct the Map" campaign and backed by the African Union, is nonbinding. Rather than imposing legal requirements, it encourages governments, international organizations and educational institutions to consider equal-area projections that more accurately represent the relative sizes of countries and continents.

Before the vote, Togo’s foreign minister Robert Dussey emphasized the broader influence of maps, saying, "Maps shape our understanding of the world. They guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions." The African Union publicly welcomed the vote, stating the resolution promotes equal-area maps like Equal Earth across classrooms, media and international institutions to reflect Africa’s true scale, weight and place.

Supporters and authors of the Equal Earth projection reacted positively: Tom Patterson, Bernhard Jenny and Bojan Šavrič, who developed Equal Earth in 2018, said they had not anticipated such a response when they created the projection, and others involved in the campaign described the result as emotional and significant.

Why this is happening Proponents point to long-standing concerns about the Mercator projection, created in 1569 by Gerardus Mercator. While useful for navigation because it preserves shape and allows straight-line compass bearings, Mercator distorts area, making regions near the poles appear larger and those near the equator, including Africa, appear smaller than they really are.

Campaigners argue that using equal-area projections such as Equal Earth provides a more proportionally accurate picture of landmasses and can help correct misleading impressions about the size and importance of Africa. Equal Earth was explicitly designed to preserve relative areas while accepting some distortion of shapes.

Tom Patterson, a former senior cartographer at the U.S. National Park Service, told NPR that using Mercator as a general-purpose world map can give students a "completely warped view of the size of countries in the world." Such critiques underpin the push for alternative projections in classrooms and public media.

The resolution builds on that argument by urging broader adoption of equal-area maps, but it does not claim that a single projection is the only correct choice; rather, it highlights the benefits of projections that keep land-area proportions more accurate than Mercator for general-purpose world maps.

How this will affect things Because the resolution is advisory rather than compulsory, its immediate effects will depend on whether and how individual countries, educational systems and organizations choose to act on the recommendation. Adoption would require changes to curricula, map production and editorial choices in media and institutions.

Symbolically, the vote demonstrates strong international support for the African Group’s position and raises public awareness of cartographic distortions. Practical change, however, will require decisions by ministries of education, map publishers and international bodies about which projections to use.

The single vote against—from the United States—signals potential resistance that could slow broader uptake. After the vote, Yaryna Ferencevych, deputy U.S. representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, criticized the resolution as part of an "ideological agenda" that she said distracts from more pressing issues and harms the institution’s credibility.

Supporters, including academics and campaign advocates, hailed the vote. Carlos Lopes, a University of Cape Town professor and campaign proponent, described the result as an emotional milestone, while other authors of Equal Earth expressed surprise and approval on social media.

What comes next The resolution itself does not set deadlines or enforcement mechanisms, so further developments depend on voluntary choices by governments and institutions. The source does not specify which countries or organizations will immediately change their maps or curricula, nor does it outline any implementation timetable.

Observers should watch whether education ministries, publishers and international organizations issue guidance or revise materials to incorporate equal-area projections. Changes in classrooms and media would be the clearest indicators of practical impact, but the source provides no information about concrete plans or resources for such a transition.

Ultimately, the vote may catalyze debates in cartography, education and media about which projections are most appropriate for different purposes. Whether that attention translates into widespread change will be determined by follow-up decisions across governments and institutions, information that is not available in the source.