U.N. approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa’s true size

Read the original at The Hindu ↗
Cite

Reuters. (2026, September 4). U.N. approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa’s true size. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/un-approves-resolution-in-support-of-mapthat-shows-africas-true-size/article71429647.ece

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Hindu · collected 2026-09-04 · by Reuters

Quick Summary

The United Nations General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution sponsored by African states to promote the use of the Equal Earth projection map, which more accurately represents the size of continents. The resolution passed with 164 votes in support and one against (the US), with six countries abstaining from the vote. Togo led the initiative, with Foreign Minister Robert Dussey stating that "A fair world begins with a fair map" and aiming to change school geography materials to use the Equal Earth projection by the end of the year. The resolution is not legally binding but aims to promote wider adoption of the more accurate map.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-04, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

September 4th, 164 countries, including France and the UK, voted in favor of a resolution at the UN General Assembly to adopt a new world map that more accurately reflects the size of Africa. Only the US voted against it, with six other states abstaining. The new map, known as the Equal Earth cartographic projection, aims to provide a more accurate representation of continental landmasses and reduce distortions caused by the traditional Mercator projection, which has been widely used since the 16th century. According to Foreign Minister Robert Dussey of Togo, "a fair world begins with a fair map," highlighting the importance of cartography in shaping our understanding of the world. The resolution promotes the use of the Equal Earth projection over the Mercator projection, which distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles, making Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa, although Africa is about 14 times larger.

Written for “UN Adopts New World Map” on 2026-10-21, grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 UN Adopts New World Map
World · 25 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size same event · 100%
The Straits Times · 0.99 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 18 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the exact same vote and resolution outcome at the UN on September 4, 2026”
UN votes to adopt new world map to reflect Africa's true size same event · 100%
BBC News · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 26 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles report on the exact same UN General Assembly vote that took place on September 4, 2026, with identical details about the resolution and sponsors.”
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale same event · 100%
The Guardian · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 31 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on the UN general assembly voting to adopt a new world map, at the same time (September 4, 2026), with the same outcome (164 countries voted in favor and the US was the only country to vote against)”
United Nations adopt new world map that shows Africa much bigger and cuts size of UK and US same event · 100%
Daily Mail · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 23 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles report on the exact same U.N. resolution and vote to replace the Mercator map with a new one, specifically mentioning Africa's increased size.”
UN votes to approve new world map which will show true size of Africa same event · 100%
The Independent · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 8% hedged 2 of 25 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the exact same UN vote on September 4 (Article A) or September 6 (Article B, with an off-by-one error in the date), which approved a resolution to replace the Mercator map with a more accurate one.”
UN votes to adopt new world map that reflects Africa’s true size same event · 100%
Al Jazeera · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 26 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the same U.N. resolution vote, on the same date (September 4, 2026), with similar details about the resolution and its goal to correct the distortion of Africa's size on world maps.”
UN endorses new map that shows Africa's size more accurately same event · 100%
CBS News · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 15 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the same U.N. General Assembly resolution endorsing a new world map that accurately represents Africa's size, sponsored by Togo and backed by African countries”
The U.N. backs a new world map showing Africa in its true relative size same event · 100%
NPR · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 29 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the exact same U.N. resolution vote on September 4, 2026, with identical sponsors and outcomes.”
A bigger Africa & a smaller Europe: What changes in new UN-backed world map same event · 100%
Times of India · 0.87 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 21 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles report on the same UN resolution vote, sponsored by Togo, in support of a map showing Africa's accurate size.”
Australia and Africa expand, North America and Europe shrink: UN adopts new world map same event · 100%
The Sydney Morning Herald · 0.86 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 26 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles report on the exact same UN resolution, with identical language and content, indicating they describe the same specific event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
The Hindu's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
25
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-04 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Hindu · 907 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-05
Trump cites Indian election that didn't happen to call U.S. electoral process ‘corrupt’
2026-10-04
Tennessee’s prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike

Who wrote this

Reuters
651 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 EBay will lay off about 9% of its workforce as the online marketplace looks to simplify operations and shift resources to its fastest-growing areas, CEO Jamie Iannone told staff in a memo that was reviewed by Reuters.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · EBay to ax 9% of workforce — 1,000 jobs — in second round of cuts this year
🔮 Health officials fear misinformation and funding shortfalls could fuel further spread within the region and across borders.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Nigeria becomes fourth African country to report Ebola case — its first in over a decade
🔮 Justice Department officials accuse critics of fear-mongering about the monitor programme, saying it will focus on compliance with civil rights laws as in prior elections.
2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Monitoring the monitors: US states prepare for surge of Justice Dept election watchers
🔮 The unrest last weekend shocked the country because of both its scale and the apparent inability of police to contain it France will reinforce police with troops and mount a huge security operation for more protests planned on Saturday, the government said on Tuesday, acknowledging failures in its response to last weekend’s violence. “The deployment next Saturday will be massive,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, adding that the immediate priority was to restore order after rioting and looting swept Paris, Marseille, Lyon and other cities on October 17.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · France to deploy troops in response to protests after violent riots sweep cities
🔮 Police, who are investigating the incident along with counter-terror authorities and the domestic intelligence agency, said in a statement they would allege the attack was targeted.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Australian lawmaker loses leg after being rammed twice in vehicle attack
🔮 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the referendum in May, saying it was “time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.” Late Monday, Smith issued a statement on social media saying she was “very pleased” that early results show widespread support for remaining in Canada.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Alberta votes to remain part of Canada, rejects independence
🔮 Trump to create new National Institutes of Health division, task force for women’s health The new task force will not replace the agency’s Office of Research on Women’s Health but will have a broader mandate beyond research US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order alongside first lady Melania Trump on Monday creating a task force and a National Institutes of Health (NIH) division focused on women’s health, the White House said.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Trump to create new National Institutes of Health division, task force for women’s health
🔮 The 51-year-old denies the allegations, and told police after his arrest that he had never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity and the accusers might have reimagined events.
2026-10-20 · mixed framing · Woman tells UK court Russell Brand dragged her into bar toilet and raped her
🔮 The Future Investment Initiative, or FII, was planned for October 26 to 29, but will now take place in 2027, with a new date to be announced “very soon,” the organisers said.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Saudi Arabia postpones ‘Davos in the Desert’ summit to 2027 after deadly attacks
🔮 Politicians on both the hard right and hard left have increasingly argued that restoring energy ties with Russia would help lower costs, challenging Europe’s mainstream consensus on support for Ukraine.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · As France erupts, Europe's far right gains from fuel-price anger ahead of elections
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Reuters
Pope Leo won’t need further therapy following lung cancer operation, doctors say
2026-10-21 · New York Post
EBay to ax 9% of workforce — 1,000 jobs — in second round of cuts this year
2026-10-21 · New York Post
Nigeria becomes fourth African country to report Ebola case — its first in over a decade
2026-10-21 · New York Post
Monitoring the monitors: US states prepare for surge of Justice Dept election watchers
2026-10-21 · Dawn
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 651 articles by Reuters →

Topics

African African Union Mercator Reuters Togo

Subjects

Togo GPE · 7× Dussey PERSON · 6× Mercator ORG · 3× African NORP · 2× African Union ORG · 2× Reuters ORG · 2× Robert Dussey PERSON · 1× The United Nations ORG · 1× U.N. General Assembly ORG · 1× the Togolese Ministry ORG · 1×

Narrative

Togo will press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the centuries-old Mercator projection, Mr. Dussey said, adding that Equal Earth offers “the best perception” of the world. Togo plans to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions within the next six months to agree on how to promote wider adoption, Mr. Dussey said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-04
🔮 “Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books,” Mr. Dussey said.
2026-09-04 · The Hindu
U.N. approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa’s true size · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

The United Nations on Friday (September 4, 2026) voted for a shift away from the 16th-century Mercator global map towards one more accurately reflecting countries’ true size, a resolution sponsored by African states to counter perceptions that the continent is peripheral. asserted
continent → vote → perceptions
Togo led the initiative to further the African Union campaign to limit use of the Mercator map, which distorts the relative size of land masses by expanding those nearer the poles. asserted
which → lead → poles
It makes Greenland appear roughly the same size as Africa, though Africa is about 14 times larger. asserted
Africa → make → Africa
“A fair world begins with a fair map,” Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey told Reuters ahead of the vote. asserted
Dussey → begin → vote
The resolution promotes the Equal Earth projection, which more accurately portrays the size of the continents. asserted
which → promote → continents
It is not legally binding and it “in no way challenges the use of the Mercator projection for maritime and aerial navigation, for which it remains fully suited,” the Togolese Ministry said in a statement. asserted
Ministry → bind → statement
The resolution passed in the U.N. General Assembly by a vote of 164 to 1 with 6 abstentions. asserted
resolution → pass → abstentions
The United States, the only country to vote against the resolution, said it promoted an “ideological agenda” and was a distraction from the “genuine problems of international peace, prosperity or good relations”. asserted
it → vote → peace
Togo to change maps in schools, says Minister The Mercator map remains widely used in classrooms, but Togo hopes to change its school geography materials by the end of the year, Mr. Dussey told Reuters. asserted
Dussey → change → Reuters
“Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books,” Mr. Dussey said. asserted
Dussey → change → books
“In the classroom, we need to change it to give an example to all the countries in the world.” asserted
we → need → world
Togo will press other governments, schools, international organisations and technology companies to move away from the centuries-old Mercator projection, Mr. Dussey said, adding that Equal Earth offers “the best perception” of the world. Togo plans to meet African Union member states and supporters from other regions within the next six months to agree on how to promote wider adoption, Mr. Dussey said. asserted
Dussey → press → adoption
Mr. Dussey said the discussion about next steps would need to include companies operating mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies. asserted
discussion → say → mapping
Mr. Dussey linked the campaign to adopt the map to wider African efforts to confront colonial-era legacies, while saying it was not an attack on Europe or any other civilisation. asserted
it → link → Europe
The Mercator map’s widespread use is a consequence of colonisation, he said. asserted
he → say → colonisation
“The world is changing. asserted
world → change → ?
Africa also is changing.” asserted
Africa → change → ?
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 21 Oct 2026