UN Adopts New World Map in 164-1 Vote as Africa Is 14 Times Greenland's Size
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 4
UN Adopts New World Map in 164-1 Vote as Africa Is 14 Times Greenland's Size
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 4
Summary
164 countries backed a UN General Assembly resolution to replace the traditional Mercator world map with one that better reflects Africa’s true size; the United States voted no and six countries abstained.
Africa appears roughly the size of Greenland on the Mercator projection even though it is 14 times larger, a distortion critics say downplays the scale, needs and potential of equatorial countries.
The resolution points institutions toward the Equal Earth projection, an equal-area map created in 2018 and already adopted in February by the African Union’s 54 member states.
The vote is non-binding, but the UN says it will drive changes in maps used by institutions worldwide, extending a long-running challenge to the 1569 Mercator standard.