The Straits Times World News
· collected 2026-09-04 · by The Straits Times
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a new world map on September 4, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, that makes Africa bigger and shrinks North America and Europe. The resolution was supported by 164 countries, while the US voted against it and six states abstained. According to the UN, the new map improves the accuracy of continental landmass representation, but the US representative Yaryna Ferencevych criticized the move as "the reason this institution is losing its credibility." The change aims to correct a distorted representation that has been perpetuated for centuries through traditional maps like the Mercator projection.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
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Story summary
On September 4, the United Nations General Assembly voted to adopt a new world map that more accurately reflects the size of Africa and other continents. The resolution, sponsored by several African countries, including Togo, passed with the support of 164 countries and was opposed only by the United States. The old Mercator projection map had been widely used since the 16th century but had been criticized for distorting the relative size of land masses, making Africa appear smaller than it is. The new Equal Earth cartographic projection more accurately portrays the size of continents, with Africa appearing 14 times larger than Greenland. While the UN resolution is non-binding, it is expected to lead to changes in the maps used by institutions around the world, including schools and technology companies. Togo's Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said that maps "guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions" and that a fair map is essential for a fair world.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 4023 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-04
UN adopts new world map showing true scale of continents; only US votes against it
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US → adopt → it
The United Nations General Assembly voted on Sept 4 to adopt a new world map that makes the African continent bigger while shrinking North America and Europe, drawing ire from Washington.
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continent → vote → Washington
Aimed at “a more accurate representation” of continental landmasses, the resolution was supported by 164 countries while the United States voted against it and six other states abstained.
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states → aim → it
The new map – known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection – improves “the accuracy of the cartographic representation of the world,” the resolution said.
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resolution → know → world
It urges member states to use the new map in place of the traditional Mercator projection, which was designed for maritime navigation by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569.
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which → urge → 1569
Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, which sponsored the resolution, said maps “guide education, nourish the imagination, and influence collective perceptions.”
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maps → sponsor → perceptions
“They are therefore never neutral; when they present a distorted image of our planet, they risk perpetuating inaccurate representation that is passed down through generations.”
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that → present → generations
The United States however slammed the resolution, saying such moves are “the reason this institution is losing its credibility.”
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institution → slam → credibility
“Instead of focusing on genuine problems... this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice,” US representative Yaryna Ferencevych said ahead of the vote.
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Ferencevych → focus → vote
The Mercator projection focused on accurate depictions of the shapes and angles of land masses, but their relative sizes were often inaccurate – largely due to the challenge of rendering a three-dimensional globe onto a two-dimensional map.
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sizes → focus → map
It inflated northern regions and compressed equatorial ones, making Europe and North America appear much larger, while shrinking Africa and South America.
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Europe → inflate → Africa
A group of cartographers launched the Equal Earth projection in 2018.
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group → launch → 2018
It makes Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Oceania appear much larger.
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Africa → make → ?
“Equal Earth preserves the relative surface areas of continents and, as much as possible, shows their shapes as they appear on a globe,” one of the cartographers, Bojan Savric, told AFP in 2025.
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one → preserve → 2025
France – which co-sponsored the resolution in support of the new map – announced on Sept 4 that it would abandon the Mercator projection.
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it → co → projection
In that map, “the United States, Russia and China take on a disproportionate visual prominence compared to Africa, Latin America or South-east Asia,” while “Greenland appears almost as big as Africa,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
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Barrot → take → Africa
“Changing maps obviously doesn’t change the world,” he said.
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he → change → world
“But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.”
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correcting → correct → truth
The initiative comes as France is seeking to improve relations with Africa, particularly in former colonies with which it has prickly ties.
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it → come → ties
