UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size

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The Straits Times. (2026, September 4). UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/un-approves-resolution-in-support-of-map-that-shows-africas-true-size

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

The Straits Times · collected 2026-09-04 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

The UN General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution sponsored by African states to promote the Equal Earth projection, which accurately represents the size of continents, over the 16th-century Mercator map. The resolution passed with 164 votes in support and only 1 vote against from the US, with 6 countries abstaining. Togo led the initiative, citing that the Mercator map makes Africa appear smaller than Greenland, when in fact it is about 14 times larger. The resolution is not legally binding but aims to encourage schools, governments, and companies to adopt the Equal Earth projection, starting with Togo's plan to change its school geography materials by the end of the year.
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.
The Hindu · 0.99 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 17 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the exact same vote and resolution outcome at the UN on September 4, 2026”
BBC News · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 26 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles describe the exact same UN General Assembly vote on September 4, 2026, to adopt a new world map that accurately reflects Africa's size.”
Daily Mail · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 23 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe the UN's approval of a resolution to replace the Mercator map with a new one that accurately reflects countries' sizes, specifically mentioning Africa and its correct size compared to Greenland.”
The Hindu · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on the exact same UN resolution and its purpose, dated to the same timeframe.”
Al Jazeera · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 26 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on the exact same UN resolution voting event, date, and outcome.”
The Guardian · 0.89 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 that shows Africa's true scale on September 4, 2026”
The Independent · 0.88 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 8% hedged 2 of 25 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the UN's vote on a resolution to replace the Mercator map with a new world map that shows Africa's true size, sponsored by Togo and supported by 164 nations.”
CBS News · 0.87 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 15 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the same UN resolution voting on a new map that accurately shows Africa's size, sponsored by Togo and backed by African countries”
The Sydney Morning Herald · 0.87 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 26 📰 publisher trust 61
“Both articles describe the exact same UN resolution and voting outcome on September 4, 2026”
NPR · 0.87 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 3% hedged 1 of 29 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on the UN General Assembly voting in favor of a resolution to change world maps, sponsored by African states, with identical details about the vote result and the countries involved.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
18
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
60/100
The Straits Times'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 Straits Times · 3295 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

The Straits Times
2116 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by The Straits Times
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2116 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

African Dussey Mercator Reuters Togo

Subjects

Togo GPE · 7× Dussey PERSON · 6× Mercator ORG · 5× Reuters ORG · 3× African NORP · 2× African Union ORG · 2× NEW YORK GPE · 1× Robert Dussey PERSON · 1× The United Nations ORG · 1× Togolese NORP · 1×

Narrative

UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size NEW YORK, Sept 4 - The United Nations on Friday 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.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-04
🔮 "Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books," Dussey said.
2026-09-04 · The Straits Times
UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 0 hedged)

UN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size NEW YORK, Sept 4 - The United Nations on Friday 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 → approve → 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 Friday's vote. asserted
Minister → 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 → challenge → 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 THIS YEAR, MINISTER SAYS The Mercator map remains widely used in classrooms, but Togo hopes to change its school geography materials by the end of the year, Dussey told Reuters. asserted
Dussey → change → Reuters
"Togo will be the first country to change our own geography books," 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, Dussey said, adding that Equal Earth offers "the best perception" of the world. asserted
Earth → press → 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, Dussey said. asserted
Dussey → plan → adoption
Dussey said the discussion about next steps would need to include companies operating mapping, GPS and other location-based technologies. asserted
discussion → say → mapping
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 colonization, he said. asserted
he → say → colonization
"The world is changing. asserted
world → change → ?
Africa also is changing." asserted
Africa → change → ?
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