General Assembly resolution encourages use of equidistant projection on general world maps; Africa is almost 14 times larger than Greenland, although on the Mercator projection the two appear similar in size
The General Assembly of United Nations Approved by a large majority a resolution encouraging the use of the map levy Equal Earth בWorld maps General. 164 countries supported the resolution, including Israel. The United States opposed it and six countries abstained. The initiative, which led Togo on behalf of האיחוד האפריקאי, seeks to correct a familiar distortion: in maps based on Mercator projection Africa appears much smaller than its actual relative size, while regions near the poles appear enormous.
It is important to be precise: The UN did not ban the use of the Mercator projection, nor did it establish a single, mandatory map for all purposes. The resolution is not legally binding. It calls on governments, educational institutions, organizations, media outlets, and technology companies to expand the use of equal-area projections, and especially Equal Earth, when presenting the entire world and comparing the sizes of countries and continents.
How a map can change the size of continents
The Earth is a three-dimensional object, while a printed map or a screen is a two-dimensional surface. It is impossible to flatten the surface of a globe without stretching, shrinking, or tearing parts of it. Therefore, each map projection preserves certain features well and gives up others: area, shape, distance, or direction. No flat map shows them all exactly everywhere.
The Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator introduced the projection that bears his name in 1569. It is a conformal projection: it approximately preserves local angles and shapes, and a navigation line with a fixed compass direction appears as a straight line. These features made it a particularly successful tool for maritime navigation, and later also a convenient basis for interactive digital maps.
The price is an increasing distortion of the surface as you move away from the equator. Greenland, covering about 2.2 million square kilometers, appears on the Mercator projection almost as large as Africa, which has an area of more than 30 million square kilometers. In reality, Africa is almost 14 times larger. Europe, Canada, and Russia also appear much larger relative to tropical regions.
The distortion is a mathematical consequence of the purpose of the levy, not evidence that Mercator was plotting to shrink Africa in the 16th century. However, when a navigational map is repeatedly presented as a general world map in classrooms, media, and institutions, it can affect the mental image of the world. Supporters of the Correct the Map initiative argue that the result reinforces a Eurocentric view and downplays the importance of Africa and countries near the equator.
What does Equal Earth offer?
Equal Earth projection Developed in 2018 by cartographers Boyan Schreiber, Tom Patterson, and Bernhard Jenney, it is an equi-area pseudocylindrical projection: an area that occupies a certain percentage of the Earth's surface receives the same percentage of the map area. This preserves the relationships between the areas of Africa, Greenland, and the other continents.
The developers sought to combine accuracy on the ground with a familiar, easy-to-read appearance, inspired by the Robinson projection. The rounded sides of the map suggest the spherical shape of the world, and the straight lines of latitude make it easy to compare distance north or south of the equator. The projection is not perfect: shapes, distances, and directions are still distorted to some extent. Its advantage is that it suits the specific purpose of the UN resolution — a fair visual representation of relative sizes.
A decision about education and awareness, not navigation
According to Reuters reportTogo plans to update geography teaching materials in schools and advance discussions with the African Union and mapping and location services companies. The initiators of the resolution hope that the move will also affect textbooks, atlases, wall maps, presentations and websites.
The United States was the only country to oppose it. Its representative argued that the resolution was unnecessary and promoted an ideological agenda rather than addressing pressing challenges. The six countries that abstained were Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine.
Even after the decision, there is no reason to delete the Mercator projection from the cartographic toolbox. It is still useful for navigation and maps where preserving local angles is important. The real question is not which map is absolutely “real,” but which projection is suitable for the purpose. When the goal is to compare the size of continents and countries, Equal Earth provides a more accurate answer—and returns Africa to the dimensions it always had.
Questions and Answers
Has the UN officially replaced all world maps?
No. The General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution encouraging the wider use of equal-area projections, and in particular Equal Earth, in general world maps. It did not ban the Mercator projection nor eliminate its use for navigation or other purposes.
Why is it impossible to create a perfectly flat map?
Because the surface of a sphere is three-dimensional and a map is two-dimensional. Any attempt to transfer the surface of a sphere to a plane requires distortion of area, shape, distance, or direction. The cartographer chooses which feature is important to preserve depending on the use of the map.
Why does Greenland look so big on the Mercator projection?
In the Mercator projection, the scale increases as you get closer to the poles. Greenland is in northern latitudes and therefore its area is shown at a significant magnification. Africa lies mostly near the equator, where the distortion is smaller. In reality, Africa is almost 14 times larger than Greenland.
What does Equal Earth preserve and what does it distort?
Equal Earth preserves the proportions of the area: continents and countries are displayed at the correct size relative to each other. Like any flat map, it cannot simultaneously preserve shape, distance, and direction everywhere, so it too has distortions.
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For the original publication: United Nations, Equal Earth
